Vow
by Jadells
Summary: When a massive earthquake sends out a ripple effect leaving nothing but destruction and betrayal, Ranma isn't sure how he can hope to repair it. /YAOI/ Ran/Ryo  slight Ran/Aka
1. Prologue

_**Vow**_

**A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction**

**Prologue**

_Dear Ranma,_

_Looks like I've wound up in Sendai, aptly nicknamed the City of Trees. I was walking all day today, so now my legs feel like jelly. I made camp in a vacant lot, and as I write I'm waiting for the water to boil for my luxurious dinner of instant beef-flavoured ramen. Yum. Anyway, I'll get home as fast as I can. I'll probably pick up a souvenir for you on my way; I'll get a bone or something for Shirokuro, if I can find one. Well, the water is ready. Time for supper!_

_I miss you. Be back soon._

_Ryoga_

Ranma folded the letter back up and set it down, letting out a long sigh. From under the kotatsu he felt Shirokuro's warm breath fan across his knee as she sighed, too. Ranma chuckled, and reached under the table to scratch the dog's soft ears. He got up and went into the kitchen, shutting off the stove. He made himself a cup of tea, and came back into the living room. Shirokuro was still under the table, whining. Ranma stopped, and frowned slightly, wondering what was troubling the animal. He shrugged, and sat back down. He rested his chin in his hands, and watched the steam float up from his tea.

Just then, the tea started to ripple outwards, then the whole cup jittered around on the table. Ranma reflexively shot out his hand and grabbed the cup, but it was so hot he pulled his hand back just as quickly with a curse under his breath. Looking around the room, he saw the whole place was shuddering. The television, the pictures on the wall, and poor Shirokuro was shaking like a leaf, whimpering in fright. Ranma stood up and hurried over to the front door, taking a look outside, noticing several other people on the street were doing the same. The trees shivered slightly, and Ranma could feel the vibration coming from the earth rattle his whole frame from under his bare feet.

"Quite the earthquake!" Ranma heard someone call. He looked to his left to see his neighbour Mr. Hoshi, an old man in his late fifties. Ranma smiled back.

"I'll say!" he replied. He headed back into the house and shut the door. Now, Shirokuro was howling in fear. Ranma went back into the living room, and made a face. His tea had toppled over, leaving a large spill that dripped off the side of the table.

"Ah, shit," Ranma huffed. Ranma went into the kitchen and grabbed a cloth. He couldn't believe how long this quake was lasting. Japan was known to have several earthquakes, usually nothing too damaging, at least in the area he lived in. Ranma shook his head and went back into the living room to mop up the mess. Shirokuro popped her head out from under the table and looked up at Ranma with her big eyes, one shrouded in black, the other in white.

"Easy, girl. It'll be over soon." Ranma soothed. As if on cue, the shaking stopped, as abruptly as it had began. The room felt almost too quiet without the rattling. Shirokuro was instantly happier, and let out a happy '_awoo_' sound, getting out from under the kotatsu. Ranma laughed.

"See? That wasn't so scary, was it?" Ranma bent down and pet the dog's warm head. Shirokuro wagged her tail. Ranma went back into the kitchen and threw the tea-soiled cloth in the sink. Walking back out to the kitchen he noticed the folded peice of paper on the table, soaked with tea. Ranma bit his lip, grabbing the damp paper and carefully unfolding it, the tea making the paper flimsy. Opening the letter, Ranma frowned. The words were severely smudged, so badly Ranma could hardly make out what it said anymore.

"Dammit," he whispered. He considered putting the blow dryer on it, but it was no use. The tea had smudged the ink beyond recognition, leaving the entire message unreadable. Ranma decided to just throw the letter in the garbage; he walked into the kitchen and stood over the trash bin, but couldn't bring himself to throw the letter away. Ranma ran his fingers over the paper, wiping away some of the droplets of tea that were dragging ink with them. Ranma went over the the fridge, placed the letter on the freezer door, and placed a fridge magnet at the top of the note, in the middle, holding it in place. Ranma stood back and admired his work. Getting a better look at it, he could see there was one spot that survived the tea and was actually legible.

_I miss you. _

_ Ryoga._

Ranma smiled, letting out a small laugh and shaking his head. He reached out and touched the words with his fingertips. He let them run down till his arm fell back to his side.

"Yeah," he said. "I miss you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Jadells here once again with a brand new story! And, surprise surprise, it's Ranma/Ryoga. Again. These two never get old, I swear. They're freakin' adorable.

Anyways, well, same old song and dance, folks. Yes, this is a yaoi between two dudes. If ya don't like it, well, you're missin' out. xD

For those of you who DO like this pairing, but were confused at the slap-in-the-face of a plot that this prologue was, well, I have my reasons. First of all, I can't stand it when I find a Ranma/Ryoga story that has a whole whack o' chapters...but either one of two things happen:

1) They just hop in one another's pants like two horny rabbits (which is really nothing to complain about if you just want your smut-fix, but is annoying when you're trying to find a story with an actual PLOT).

or, 2) Ranma and Ryoga run around like chickens with their heads cut off and it's all "I'm a GUY, dammit!", and, "I'm not gay!", and, "We're just supposed to be rivals!"

Okay, one day when I'm in the mood to write some good old fashioned, cut-to-the-chase, full-blown lemon, I will most likely use option #1. However, when writing non-pornographic fanfiction, there is no way in hell you will see me use option #2. It's boring, typical, predictable, and simply just irritates the reader. So, when I write my Ranma/Ryoga, I always say in my defense that all the typical dramas and confusion you were expecting from Ranma and Ryoga has_ already passed_, because once that's outta your way, you can torture those two guys whoever the hell you feel, and it is **GLORIOUS**.

Okay, whew. Goddamn, I have got to stop it with these huge-ass Author's Notes. O_O Sorry, folks, I just needed to clear the air on this before I continue with the story, so that (hopefully) I won't get reveiws complaining on why Ranma and Ryoga are "already together". If you like Ranma/Ryoga enough that you're reading the story, why are you complaining that they're already a couple? That should make you happy! D:

Alright, ranting done. All in all, I hope you enjoy the story. :)

- Jadells

PS, This story is rated M for a reason, folks. Enter at your own risk. ;)


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

* * *

><p>"Did you see the news broadcast?"<p>

Ranma twirled the phone cord around his finger until his fingertip was purple; he unwinded the cord and repeated the process. "Yeah, I did." he muttered into the receiver.

"It's unbelievable. You felt it, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah,"

"It was just a little shudder here, though. The cities along the coastline got the brunt of it. It's unreal. So much destruction, and so quickly. I still can't believe it's real." Ranma heard Akane sigh. "So, any word from Ryoga? You said he got lost again a week ago."

Ranma watched his finger twirl the thin cord around and around until his entire index finger was covered. He freed his finger and ran his hand through his hair. Ranma looked over at the fridge, at the crinkled, water-damaged peice of paper attached to the freezer door. He could hear the sounds of the television from the living room.

_...largest earthquake to be reported since the beginning of the 20th century. The quake jolted Japan today and sent tsunami waves that inovated its coast. This could be seen around 2:45 in the afternoon. Homes and cars have been washed away and neighbourhoods flooded; officals say the damage is enormous. Police say that 200-300 bodies were found in one city alone; hundreds remain missing. Problems have risen in three nuclear power plants and..._

"Ranma?" Akane said. "Are you still there?"

"He's in Sendai." Ranma said quietly.

The phone was silent for a while.

"Sendai?"

"Yeah," Ranma replied. "Ryoga is in Sendai."

"Sendai is on the coast."

"Yeah."

"Where the earthquake hit."

"Yeah."

Silence again; longer this time.

"Oh, God, Ranma!" Akane cried. "D-do you think...I mean..."

"I don't know, Akane." Ranma rested his forehead against the cool wall. "I don't know."

"Oh, God. What if something happened to him? I mean, all that footage on the news... everything is destroyed. I mean, I know Ryoga is strong and all, but...but..." Akane started sniffling. "Oh, God. Oh, God..."

Ranma closed his eyes, listening to Akane weep from the other end of the line. Ranma found the phone cord again and started to twist, more quickly this time. His finger quickly lost all feeling, but it didn't make a difference. His whole body was numb, anways.

"Akane, I gotta go." Ranma murmered.

Akane hiccupped wetly. "R-Ranma, I-"

"I'll call later, okay?"

Akane didn't reply for a while, the only sounds from the receiver her sniffles. "Okay." she croaked.

Ranma hung up the phone. He walked up the stairs and into Ryoga's bedroom-the one they'd been sharing for two years. He closed the door behind him, then rested his back on the door with a long sigh. He slid slowly down to the floor. Looking around the room, he noticed how little had changed in Ryoga's room after two whole years. Even after Ranma had moved in, he had contributed little to decoration in the bedroom. Not that he needed to, what with all the souvenirs Ryoga had filled his room with. It had always been one of Ranma's favourite things about Ryoga: all the places he'd been, the things he'd seen, the things he'd done. It was Ryoga's lack of directional sense that made this happen of course, so Ryoga could never fully embrace it, but Ranma had always been envious. He'd been around Japan, of course, on his decade-long training trip with his father, but he hadn't been everywhere Ryoga had been. He'd always loved to hear Ryoga's travel stories.

Ranma brought his legs up and rested his head on his knees. It ached, being in this room. All the strange souvenirs reminded him of Ryoga, and the story he had to tell for each and every one. After two years of marriage, this room had many stories; thousands of memories. Ranma looked up, rubbing his temples with an exasperated grunt. He stood up and went over to the bed, and threw himself down. He buried his face in the pillows, grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his head. He felt so heavy all of a sudden. It was a strange feeling; it wasn't exhaustion, and it wasn't even saddness. It was simply heaviness.

Heaviness he wasn't sure would lift.

* * *

><p>Akane knocked on the door with a little hesitation. She stood back and brushed at her skirt, fixed her hair. She waited over a minute, and there was no answer. Deflating, Akane considered going home. Biting her lip Akane tapped her heeled foot, slightly bouncing on the spot. Huffing in impatience, Akane stepped forward and rapped on the door. Her knuckles connected once before the door flew open. Akane saw a glimpse of bright, hopeful eyes; a flashing, fleeting smile. Then, it was gone. Akane smiled sadly. She wasn't hurt; after all, she wasn't the one he wanted to see.<p>

"Akane," Ranma said. "Good to see you."

_No, it isn't. _"Hey, Ranma. May I come in?" Akane asked.

"Yeah, 'course." Ranma muttered, moving aside to let Akane through. Ranma closed the door behind them, and the two stood in the entrance awkwardly for a moment.

"You...look nice," Ranma said finally, gesturing to Akane's outfit.

Akane looked down at her feet, and tugged on a strand of her hair. "Thanks." she said quietly.

Ranma nodded. He took her purse from her and placed it on a empty space on the shoe rack. Akane slipped off her shoes.

"I'll put the kettle on. Make yourself at home." Ranma said, walking over into the kitchen. Akane watched his retreating back, brow creased in concern. He wasn't himself, she could see it immiediately. Ranma was always a beacon; always optimistic, and cheerful. Now he was burnt-out; sullen, and quiet.

_He looks so tired_, Akane thought to herself as she sat down at the kotatsu._ I wonder if he gets any sleep. _

Akane looked up and noticed the television was on, at low volume. It was on the news channel; the story currently covered held no interest to Akane. She guessed this televison was on as much as possible, always on the same channel. She could picture Ranma in her mind's eye, sitting at the table and waiting for any sort of update. Her thoughts were cut off as Ranma walked into the living room, grabbing the remote off the table. He muted the volume, cutting off the female reporters voice, but didn't shut off the set.

"I have some purin in the fridge. Would you like some?" Ranma asked in a low voice.

"Sure, that sounds great." Akane said, attempting a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

The corner of Ranma's lip twitched, but it was all he could muster. He walked back into the kitchen. Akane sighed; whenever she tried in the past to cheer Ranma up (which she usually had to do when Ryoga got himself lost for weeks at a time and Ranma would be in a slump) all she had to do was give him her best smile. The smile that used to make him blush and look away stammering, before. It was just as good a weapon now, though. It didn't turn him into the klumbsy teenage boy with a crush on a tomboy, but in the very least she knew it was contagious enough he simply had to smile back, no matter what mood he was in.

Ranma walked back in with two steaming cups of tea, setting them on the table. After another trip into the kitchen, he came back out with two small dishes with purin on them, and set one of them in front of Akane. The custard pudding was surrounded in caramel sauce along with the thin layer on top of the dessert, and surrounded by stawberries. This was good, Akane thought with a smile. One of the many things she knew about Ranma was his undying (if not a bit guilty) love for sweets, especially parfaits. He wouldn't dare eat them as often as he liked, but he stowed them away for whenever the urge struck him. Akane rolled the strawberries around in the sauce, and thought to herself, if Ranma still had a sweet tooth, and could still put this much TLC into making her pudding, then the Ranma_ she _knew _had_ to still be in there, deep down. She stabbed a berry with her fork than sliced off a slab of pudding, popping it into her mouth.

"Mm," Akane said, looking up. "This is delicious."

She'd glanced up in time to see Ranma in the middle of savouring a mouthful, fork still pressed between his lips. "Thanks." he said around the fork and a mouthful of custard.

Akane smiled. Ranma's lip twitched again, a little more this time and lingered. Then vanished.

"So," Akane started suddenly, digging back into her pudding. "Haven't you gotten a letter from him?"

Ranma poked at a strawberry. "Just one," he replied. "It came the day of the quake, but he'd sent it a few days before then."

"He hasen't called or anything? Maybe he's trying to hunt down a phone. I'm sure with his sense of direction, and how hectic things must be down there it'd be difficult for him to find a phone."

Ranma stared at his pudding. "...Maybe." he mumbled.

"Ranma, you need to stay positive about this. You know Ryoga better than anyone in the entire world, right?"

Ranma nodded solemnly.

"Then you need to have faith in him." Akane said. "He would do the same for you if you were in his shoes right now. You've waited for him before longer than this long."

She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay, Ranma."

He stared at their hands and didn't reply. Akane sat back and sighed. She scooped her last peice of purin into her mouth, then rose.

"I better go. Kasumi asked me to grab a few things for dinner. Thank you for the pudding. It was really good." Akane's shoulders drooped as Ranma simply nodded again. She just started to get something out of him and he was shutting down again. "I'll call later, okay? Bye."

Akane walked out of the living room. Ranma listened to the shuffling at the front door as she grabbed her purse and put on her shoes. The door shut soon after, and the house was silent. Too silent. Ranma snatched the remote and unmuted the televison.

_...clean-up has begun to clear the massive destruction left behind, as well as a search and rescue for missing persons buried beneath the debris. Hundreds are still missing, and the death toll keeps rising toward a colossal-_

Click.

Ranma threw the remote at the screen, and it hit with a ringing snap. The remote clattered to the floor and the batteries fell out. Ranma ignored it, and looked down at his dessert and grimaced. He grabbed his plate and cup and went into the kitchen. He dumped the tea down the drain and stowed the remaining pudding in the fridge. For the first time ever, a Saotome had lost their appetite. Ranma walked slowly back into the living room, looking down at the remote of the floor. Shirokuro could possibly choke on those batteries if he just left them there. Sighing, he squatted down and picked up the batteries and put them back in the remote. He set the remote on top of the television and walked out of the room and up the stairs.

He entered his bedroom, going over and sitting down on the edge of the bed. He sat there in silence, and quickly started to fidget. He threw himself down on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He draped his arms across his eyes, as his breath hitched dryly as a strange sob escaped him. He rolled onto his side and curled himself into a tight ball, as if that would take the aching throb out of his chest and throat. Ranma buried his face in the sheets to smother his shame, as a second dry sob escaped his mouth.

Hundreds followed after that, and he, drowning in shame and self-loathing, was powerless to stop them.

* * *

><p>"Ranma?"<p>

The blackness swept away like a veil, and his eyes blinked open slowly. He felt himself being shaken, his limp body rocking back and forth. He made a small, thick noise in his throat that sounded like it came out of a cave, and he shifted.

"Ranma?"

Ranma turned around heavily, and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he moaned.

"Lemme sleep, Ryo."

A hand squeezed his shoulder. He groaned, scrunching up his face further and swatting it away weakly, his limbs like lead.

"Wake up, Ranma."

"Go away, Ryoga...I wanna sleep." Ranma whined.

"Ranma." the voice was a whisper. "Open your eyes."

Ranma grumbled, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Are you okay, Ranma?"

Ranma lurched up and kissed him hard, knocking him over and making himself collapse off the bed and onto the floor, landing on top of him. He heard himself moan desperately as he covered every inch of skin with his lips. He felt the body beneath him gasp and hold back moans as he continued his administrations. Two hands gripped his shoulders and squeezed.

"Ranma."

The spell broke.

Ranma looked up and met Akane's shocked hazel eyes. He bolted upright with a loud gasp and clamped his hand over his mouth, his heart racing like a chaotic horse. Akane sat up, slowly, and stared at him. They stayed that way for a long time, staring into the other's horrified eyes. Ranma finally took his hand away from his mouth. He felt like his sixteen-year-old self again, and like a tidal wave each moment came flooding back. Each sneaking glimpse they'd taken when they thought the other wasn't looking, then looking away red-faced when they were caught. Each time he'd held her, each time he'd saved her, and each time she'd saved him. Each time he'd seen her cry, and each time he'd made her cry. Each time they'd fought, and each time they'd made up. Each time he'd felt like kissing her. Each time he almost got to.

He saw it on her face she'd just seen all of the same exact things. His thoughts jumbled as the memories zipped by him as if they were being played for him on a film strip at top speed. He knew in that moment that they're thoughts were exactly the same.

They closed the space between them and their lips collided.

They yanked each other closer, their mouth mashing together, teeth gnashing, tounges flicking. Lost in the midst of passion, they dragged each other to the floor, moaning and sighing into each other's mouths. They fought for dominence, rolling around the carpet and pinning each other down. Akane's finger ran through Ranma's hair and gripped. Ranma broke away and kissed along her jawline, down her neck. Akane arched her back, gripping tighter at the hair at the back of his head, biting down on her lip to hold back her moans. She dragged her hands down across his shoulders, down his chest. She reached around blindly until her fingers curled underneath the bottom of his shirt, and pulled it up. Her hands roamed over his stomach, her fingertips tickling the skin. Ranma twitched, and shuddered.

Akane hooked her arms around his neck, pulling him down roughly. Ranma grabbed the sides of her head, pulling at her soft, short hair. Akane cupped his face, moaning softly. Suddenly, Ranma's heart lurched painfully, a relentless tug that made him gasp in pain. Akane gazed at him curiously, and her brow furrowed in concern at the look of horror on his face. He got off of her quickly and leaned back against the bed, panting heavily.

"...Ranma?" Akane questioned softly, sitting up.

_What have I done? This is Akane. She's one of my best friends. I used to like her when I was a kid, but...I realized I didn't love her as much as she deserved. But now she...and I...all I could think about was how...how I used to feel with her. She makes me...feel like I'm a kid again. I've just been so empty and so...so _tired _lately...and I just couldn't take it anymore..._

"I think...you need to go," Ranma whispered.

"Ranma-"

Ranma got to his feet. "I'll walk you out." he said quietly, walking toward the door before she could say anything.

Dejected, Akane got to her feet with a sigh, and followed him. The two walked down the hall in silence, down the stairs, and to the front door. Akane quickly brushed past Ranma and hastily put on her shoes. She looked up, staring at Ranma with her large doe eyes, looking fearful and confused. Ranma had his arms wrapped around himself, his expression towards her pained, sympathetic, and shameful. Akane bit her lip, and Ranma walked past her and opened the door, unable to meet her eyes. Akane hesitated a moment, before hanging her head and walking out the door without a word.

Ranma closed the door slowly. He stayed there for a while, gripping the doorknob as he stared off at nothing. He walked into the kitchen mechanically, eyes downcast. He looked up and his eye caught sight of the wrinkled peice of paper pinned to the fridge. Ranma walked over and stared at the smudged note; impossible to read, but it didn't matter because he could remember every single word like it had been burned onto his brain with a brand. At the bottom of the paper were four words that, though smeared by tea and running ink, were still legible.

_ I miss you,_

_ Ryoga_

Ranma pulled the note off the refridgerator, and pressed it to his face as he felt the burning ache in his chest and throat again. He sank down to the floor, and thought of the feel of his lips on his, his hands holding him, his warm breath, his voice, his smile, his brown eyes...

...and hating himself everytime the girl he'd just sent away kept invading his thoughts with the same images.

And what scared him the most was that he liked her there...

...and wanted her back in.

* * *

><p><strong> Author's Notes:<strong>

My poor Ranma-hunny... I'm always so mean to him! D: *goes to sob in a corner*

All I can say about the next few chapters is this:

Shit, meet fan.

(...I do believe this is one of my shortest Author's Notes ever. O.O)

- Jadells


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

* * *

><p><em>Four years later<em>

* * *

><p>It was springtime.<p>

Ranma looked out aross the backyard, feeling the fresh, slightly mild April breeze brush across his face. The small tree in the backyard was just starting to bud with cherry blossoms. A koi flickered in the pond, making the water ripple. Ranma went back inside, and headed for the laundry room. With the house all to himself, it left him time to think. As he made his way to the laundry room, he took in the walls around him. Little had changed. The Tendo Dojo was the same ancient building he'd known since the day he arrived on the shoulder of a panda.

_Okay, so maybe a few bits and pieces are new_, Ranma thought, _what with all the holes that were made in the walls that had to be patched up._

Ranma started pulling the clean clothes out of the dryer, and folding them and placing them into the basket on the floor beside him. Even after four years, it was still hard to take in the fact the residents of the Tendo Dojo had lessened to just two. His father mostly stayed at his mother's house now, as did Soun. The two fathers dropped in now and then to see how things were holding up with classes. Nabiki had moved away quite a while ago, to go to university to study business and trade, which surprised nobody, of course. Kasumi was still in the neighbourhood, and was even starting a family of her own. Now, it was just him and Akane.

Akane was currently out doing some shopping, which left Ranma alone to do housework. Finishing with the clean clothes, he opened the washing machine, threw the damp clothes in the dryer, started the machine and began putting more dirty clothes in the washer.

"It never ends," Ranma sighed. "and half of this ain't even mine. Girls and all their dumb clothes...what the heck does she need so many clothes for, anyways? Man."

Ranma finished putting the load in, and started the washer. Brushing his hands off, he made his way over to the kitchen to start the next task. Ranma walked into the kitchen and gave the full sink a dirty look. Dammit, cleaning dishes sucked. Why couldn't they just buy a freaking dishwasher? Ranma started on his chore, boredly washing a cup.

"She's out livin' it up, shoppin' for even more clothes I bet...and I'm stuck here washin' cups. Boy, what I wouldn't give for Pantyhose Taro or...or hell, maybe even _Kodachi_ to just bust down a wall right about now. At least then I'd have sumthin' more excitin' to do." Ranma grumbled to himself. He knew complaining wouldn't make the dishes just magically become clean and get put away, but it helped. A guy can dream.

Ranma went about his task in silence, the only sound was the clinking of dishes, the sloshing dishwater, the cloth wiping against cups and bowls, the rushing water of the tap as he rinsed away suds. As the tap ran, Ranma heard a noise that sounded like it came from the front hall. Shutting off the sink, he could better hear the shuffling noises as the front door closed. Akane back from her shopping spree, he thought idly. He searched around in the soapy water for a dish, rinsed away the bubbles, then started wiping it dry. He listened to the footfalls, as they became louder. Ranma hoped to every deity imaginable Akane hadn't gone out and bought him more clothes. Hadn't she realized by now he was perfectly fine in his comfy Chinese shirts? He didn't care what she said, they were _not _small on him. He turned around, hoping he wouldn't see an excited Akane with copious amounts of shopping bags clutched in her hands.

Which he didn't.

A man Ranma had never seen before stood by the kitchen entryway. This man had dark brown hair that nearly touched his shoulders and was very unkempt. His eyes were hazel and jaded, with dark shadows beneath them. His clothes were filthy and torn in places, his face smudged in grime. A dirty, ungroomed man who stared straight into his eyes, and through the dirt Ranma saw recognition in those man's tired irises.

"...Ranma," he whispered.

The wires connected, and a spark went off in Ranma's brain. A spark that lit something inside of him; an old, forgotten fire.

The dish slipped from his fingers and shattered almost completely as it collided with the floor. The man jumped at the loud crash, and stared open-mouthed at the hundreds of shards on the kitchen floor.

"Ryoga?" Ranma's voice came out sounding alien to him.

The man's face lit up. "Yes," he said softly. "it's me, Ranma."

The fire in his brain spread madly, consuming everything and muddling all of his thoughts. Thousands of emotions hit him like blows all at once and made his head spin. His burning skull felt like it had been split open with a crowbar. He grabbed his head, shutting his eyes tightly, trying to block out all of the confusing thoughts and feelings coursing through him. His mind seemed to shift, to flip somehow, and suddenly his thoughts were clear, and one emotion struck him.

"_Nothing_!" Ranma yelled. "Four goddamn years, and not a thing!"

Ryoga blinked. "What...?" he blurted.

"You bloody well know! No letters, no phonecalls...nothing! _Why_?" Ranma stormed around the island and towards Ryoga. "_Why_, dammit?"

Ryoga opened his mouth to retort. Ranma threw his arm back then struck Ryoga in the face, making his head snap to side at the force of the blow.

"You fucking idiot!" Ranma spat. "You're supposed to be _dead_!"

"Ranma, please, I'm-"

"All this time..._all this time _you were _alive_, and what? You didn't ever think that maybe you should in the least pick up a fucking phone and tell me that? That maybe, just _maybe_, I'd like to hear that you're alive and didn't get killed by some...some damned earthquake..."

"Ranma...Ranma, I know that you've been through a bad time, and..."

"How could you be so damn selfish? So...so..."

"Ranma, please, _please_ can we just go back to normal?"

Suddenly Ranma's ugly mask of rage melted away and turned deeply solemn. His shoulders drooped as the adrenaline leaked out of him, and he lowered his gaze.

Ryoga took a step forward, concerned. "Ranma?" he asked, reaching out a hand.

When Ranma looked back up, there was a look in his eye that made Ryoga feel something akin to nostalgia. An old light lay within Ranma's eyes. Something about it made Ryoga frown in confusion, and he couldn't quite place the feeling he felt when he looked at his face. Ranma scoffed suddenly, and swatted Ryoga's hovering hand away. Ryoga's eyes widened, and he stared at Ranma, confused.

"What are ya talkin' about, moron? Waddaya mean by 'normal', huh?" Ranma demanded.

Ryoga quirked an eyebrow. _His voice changed?_

"Uh...I'm talking about us, Ranma. You and I, together again." Ryoga explained.

Ranma looked at Ryoga like he'd spontaneously grown elephant ears. "Ha ha, very funny, P-chan." he said with a strange chuckle.

Ryoga bristled at the old nickname, which now felt like a horrible insult, like it used to when they were younger. Ranma's voice was so distant and hurtful somehow, all of a sudden.

"Ranma...I'm being serious. We...we love each other." Ryoga said quietly.

Ranma burst into nervous laugher. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..._what_ are you talkin' about, man? I'm a _guy_, okay? We're buddies, yeah, but that's all!"

"Wh-what's gotten into you, Ranma?" Ryoga asked incredulously.

"Gee, porkchop, I was just about to ask you that." Ranma said, voice oozing sarcasm.

"Ranma..."

Ranma held up his hands, taking a step back from Ryoga. "Look, man, I'm married, okay?"

"Yeah, to me!" Ryoga cried.

"_No_, dimwit!" Ranma snapped, taking another step back, looking appalled.

"Well if it isn't me, then who?" Ryoga asked in exasperation.

"Who else, moron? Akane!" Ranma replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Ya know, that chick I was _engaged_ to? The one you snuck into bed with as a pig? _That_ Akane?"

"Wha...What? You...married Akane?" Ryoga nearly whispered.

"Yeah, of course, stupid!" Ranma held up his left hand and pointed sharply to a silver band on his ring finger. "See? Hitched!"

Ryoga gaped at the silver ring, jaw slack. He couldn't believe it. Ranma was actually telling the truth. He had married Akane. How could he..._replace_ him so easily? All those times he'd gotten lost for weeks, even months at a time...Ranma always waited for him. Always.

_Why couldn't you wait for me?_

Ranma crossed his arms, and looked off at nothing. "I'm sure you're devasted, pig boy. You had a crush somethin' awful on Akane, but...that's in the past now. We're married now, and takin' over the dojo. As my friend, yer just gonna hafta accept that, pal."

Ryoga shook his head, shutting his eyes. _This isn't happening_. "I _don't_ love her, Ranma. I love _you_."

Ranma snorted. "I think you need ta get yer head checked out, porkbutt. Yer givin' me the creeps." Ranma looked serious all of a sudden. "I think you should go."

Ryoga opened his mouth, then closed it again. His shoulders drooped and he looked away. Ranma unfolded his arms, and walked past Ryoga. "I'll walk you out." he muttered.

Ryoga had no choice but to turn and follow behind Ranma as he headed for the front door. On the way, something on the wall caught Ryoga's eye. It was a photo of a child who looked about two years old. Ryoga stopped walking, and turned to stare at the picture. Ranma noticed Ryoga had stopped following him, and turned around.

Ryoga's face had turned dark. "Cute kid." he said bitterly.

Ranma frowned. "Yeah," he said. "I guess she is."

Ryoga took in a shaky breath, and laughed strangely.

"What's so funny?" Ranma grumbled.

"You slept with her," Ryoga said quietly. "didn't you?"

"_What_?" Ranma cried.

Ryoga turned to face him, his face red with anger. "You slept with her! Then you had a goddamned kid with her?"

Ranma's eyes widened. He felt the burn in his mind again, but he pushed it away.

"That ain't my kid," Ranma said hotly. "it's Kasumi and Dr. Tofu's."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is." Ryoga scoffed sarcastically.

"It is!" Ranma snapped. He stormed up to Ryoga and jabbed a finger at the picture of the toddler. "Look at it, Ryoga. Does that kid look anythin' like me, or Akane? It's got _brown _hair, stupid, do me or Akane have brown hair?"

Ryoga looked at the picture, and realized Ranma was right. That didn't mean his anger was gone. "You screwed her, though."

"_Excuse_ me?"

"You heard me. You slept with Akane. No, scratch that, you're _sleeping _with Akane. You are _married_, after all." Ryoga said the word like it was venom on his lips.

Ranma felt the burn again, then the strange shift in his mind.

"I...no...I mean, yes, but..." Ranma searched for words desperately, feeling his throat close up. "I-it was only once...the honeymoon...and now we...Ryoga, I..."

Ryoga stared at him, noticing the abrupt change in his posture, his expression, and his speech. Then, Ranma shook his head quickly, and when he opened his eyes again that same old light was back. His posture shifted just so, as he suddenly became angry again.

"Wh-what I do with my _wife_ has_ nothing _to do with you!" Ranma hollered.

Ryoga ground his teeth together. "It has _everything_ to do with me!" he boomed. "I'm your _husband_, Ranma! Or at least I was before you gave up on me and _replaced _me!"

"Listen, bud, I ain't married married to you, okay? I'm married to _Akane_, and you ain't doin' nothin' to change that, you got that?" Ranma shouted.

_There he goes again. He keeps talking like he did when he was a kid._

Ryoga's anger faded as this thought went through his mind, and he stood up straight, staring at Ranma with a blank expression. Ranma continued to glare at him, fist clenched, his stance placed as if he were expecting Ryoga to suddenly attack him, like he used to do when they were kids. When they just sparred to solve their problems.

"All right, then." Ryoga said. "I guess I'll leave you both alone."

Ryoga walked past Ranma and out the door. Ranma stayed in his spot, not moving an inch as he listened to the door shut softly behind him, then he came slowly out of his battle stance, standing up straight. He stayed there for a long time before deciding to head out to the dojo.

Outside, Ryoga walked down the street and played his entire arguement with Ranma in his head over and over. Ranma had been acting strange, that much was for certain. It was as if his personality had altered, swapping back and forth. The Ranma that had screamed at him, struck him, asked him why he never contacted him...that was_ his _Ranma. A very worried, relieved and frustrated version of his Ranma, of course. The Ranma who had no idea how to handle his feelings so he acted in anger because it was common ground. He wasn't upset with Ranma for hitting him, or screaming at him. After all,_ that _Ranma he saw was his shred of hope. _That _Ranma was the Ranma he'd married.

Then, there was the other Ranma. Or, in a sense, the old Ranma. At least, that was how he acted. He was even dressing like his old self again; Ryoga remembered that Ranma had soon started wearing regular clothes soon after they were married, only using his Chinese clothes for spars with him. Now, he was back to wearing them full-time. Not only that, but he even spoke like he used to. Ranma had weaned off of the incorrect 'ain'ts' and whatnot, and his crude drawl had slowly improved into something more mature, but still wholly Ranma. Ryoga had heard both today; when Ranma flopped to the Ranma he knew, he spoke regularly, and when he flipped back to the "other" Ranma, he had that old drawl back in his voice.

_ Why is he acting like he's sixteen again?_

_ Why did he keep switching back between what seemed like two seperate personalities? Has he always been doing that, or...have I caused that, by showing up in his life again?_

_ Did he make himself think he was sixteen, so he could essentially "forget" about me? About us? That has to be it. Why else would he act that way?_

Like he said, though, that Ranma he'd seen when he first walked in...that was_ his _Ranma. His shred of hope. If just him coming back into his life again was enough for Ranma to bring out that side of him again, then there had to be a way to pull it out, and keep it out. Ryoga clenched his fists, and started walking with purpose in his step.

_I guess that's what I'm going to have to do, _Ryoga thought. _I'll have to make him love me all over again._

* * *

><p>Why. Won't. This. Damn. Thing. Break?<p>

Ranma lashed out another flurry of punches at the practice dummy, which usually would have broken by now. In frustration, Ranma let out an angry yell and swung up his leg and kicked the dummy in what would be the abdomen of a real person. It swung back, but jolted back up straight, unharmed.

"Goddammit!" Ranma hissed. With a near-shriek he rapidly kicked the dummy, not caring where he struck it now.

"Ranma?"

Ranma heard the voice but he didn't stop his assault. With another cry, he kicked it with all of his might, and at last heard the delightful crack of wood as the dummy flew off it's post and across the yard. Ranma watched it fly, heaving and sweating buckets.

"Ranma,"

Finally he turned around to look at his wife, who stood several paces away, her brow etched in concern. Ranma scoffed, snatching his towel and wiping the sweat from his face before snapping the towel over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna take a bath." he muttered, walking into the house, leaving a confused and worried Akane in the yard, watching his retreating back.

Ranma walked up the stairs and into the bathroom, quickly shucking off his sweaty clothes and tossing them into the hamper. Grabbing a clean towel and wrapping it around his waist, he opened the shogi doors and entered the furo. He filled the bath to the brim with scalding hot water and sank in, grimacing as the water hurt his already-hot skin. After a moment of pain he relaxed, his muscles loosening. He sighed, sinking low into the water until it lapped over his whole head. He opened his eyes under the water, staring at the bright lights of the furo, warped by the rippling water. Then, he saw a moving shape, and an unforgettable shade of blue. He resurfaced, dripping wet, to meet Akane's gaze.

She stood over the bath, wrapped in a small towel. She said nothing, but her eyes asked him for invitation. Ranma sighed, sitting up in the water and pulling up his legs slightly. Akane took that as admission, and pulled the towel away from her body. Ranma suddenly looked very interested in his knees. Akane stepped in, jumping at the tempurature. She sank in, and made a small, high pitched noise.

"It's boiling," she gasped.

"Ya get used to it." Ranma muttered, shifting awkwardly.

Akane bit her lip, obviously in pain as the overly hot water burned her flesh. She closed her eyes, waiting, and slowly her body relaxed. She sighed contently, making Ranma look up at her. She opened her eyes and flashed him a bright smile. He smirked, unable to not respond to her contagious smile, just like always.

"You seemed awfully upset back there," Akane said suddenly. "has something been bothering you?"

Ranma looked away again. "Nah," he said. "nothin' has been botherin' me. I was just trainin', is all."

Akane didn't believe him, but she knew not to start an arguement. He was in one of his stubborn moods again. "Okay..." she murmered.

Ranma simply nodded, still staring off at nothing. He heard the water slosh around, as Akane moved. He looked over, just as she came towards him. She sat beside him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You still seem pretty tense," Akane said quietly. "I can help you with that, you know. I am your wife, after all. It's part of my job."

Ranma opened his mouth to reply, but Akane cut off his words with a kiss. She sighed against his lips, roaming across his lips and the inside of his mouth with her tounge. She broke away, and gave him a coy little smile. Ranma went bright red, and looked away.

"You don't have to do a-anything." Ranma stammered.

Akane giggled. "Don't be silly. I'm doing this because I want to, baka." Akane kissed him again breifly, then down along his jaw, to his neck.

_I'm your _husband, _Ranma!_

Akane kissed along his collarbone, across his shoulder, down to his chest. One hand ran its fingers through his hair, the other trailed down his stomach, making him shudder.

_Or at least I was before you gave up on me and _replaced _me!_

Ranma's eyes shot open.

"Uh...th-the heat is making me dizzy. I better get out." Ranma muttered quickly, making Akane stop her administrations to look up at him.

"...You're kidding, right?" Akane said.

"My head is spinnin'. I gotta get out or I'm gonna pass out." Ranma untangled himself from Akane and hastily stood up while putting on his towel in one motion. Before Akane could retort, Ranma had sped out of the bathroom. Akane frowned, plopping down into the water with a pout. Ranma rushed down the hallway and ran into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He slid down until he sat on the floor, back pressed against the wall. He took a moment to collect himself, then opened his eyes. It was then he noticed he'd run into the guest bedroom, and not the room he shared with Akane.

Ranma bit his lip, looking around the empty, dark room. He turned around, placing his hand on the shogi door to leave, but stopped himself. A little voice told him that it was all right, for just one night, to stay. Another voice hollered at him to leave quickly, calling him a fool for leaving Akane alone in the bath.

_She's your _wife_, right? Ain't cha allowed to touch her however you want? Kiss her. Tell her you love her and-_

_ I'm your _husband_, Ranma!_

Ranma turned around, and walked over to the bureau. He kept quite a lot of his clothes still in here. In Akane's room, there simply wasn't much room in her small closet for his and her clothes to all fit. Opening a drawer, he rifled through in search of something to sleep in (he never bothered to sort his clothes in any way, so it was all jumbled together). He came across a pair of boxers, and an old T-shirt. He pulled out the shirt, and realized he didn't recognize it. He held it up, examining it. The shirt was dark olive green in colour, and had a white star-like design on it that Ranma recognized as the Hokkaido flag logo.

_Funny_, Ranma thought._ I've never been to Hokkaido_.

Then he realized he knew someone who had. Over thirty times.

_This is his shirt_.

Without thinking, Ranma brought the shirt to his nose.

_It even still smells like him_.

Ranma unwrapped the towel from himself, and put on his boxers and the shirt. It sagged on him a little, the ends of the sleeves nearly reaching his elbows, and the hem of the shirt passing his waistline just a bit longer than he knew it would if it was Ryoga who was wearing the shirt. The sleeves would have been snug, reaching to the middle of his upperarm, hugging the wide muscle of his biceps just so, showing even beneath the fabric the inhuman power of his strong arms...

Ranma felt blood rush to his cheeks.

_Where the hell did that come from? Why am I wearin' this anyways, it's _Ryoga's_, not mine! Why do I even have it?_

_ You know the answer to that._

_ If I knew, why the heck would I ask?_

_ Because you're deluding yourself._

_ This is stupid. Why am I fussin' so darn much over some stinkin', loudy shirt, for cryin' out loud? It's just a stupid shirt!_

_ It's _his _shirt. Which makes it special._

_ It's just a freakin' SHIRT!_

_ Oh God, he smells like trees. How on earth do you get to smell like trees? Why does he makes trees smell so good? Why have I always described it as the smell of a tree? What is a tree supposed to smell like? Why doesn't he smell like something more corny and typical, like strawberries or vanilla, like something out of one of those stupid teen romance novels? Akane always smells like vanilla...because of that perfume she has. Ryoga didn't get his scent out of a bottle..._

Ranma shook his head wildly, and hurried over to the other side of the room, where the extra futon bedding lay. He rolled out his old futon and settled in, instantly relaxing into the soft comfort. He'd missed his futon all this time, he realized. Akane's Western bed was terribly uncomfortable, the mattress was as stiff as cardboard. Ryoga had one of those Western-style futons that folded in the middle to become a couch during the day, but he had rarely ever folded it up into it's couch form. Ranma liked Ryoga's bed, because it was like a Western bed without the backache-inducing discomfort.

Ranma nestled himself under the heavy, soft quilt. As sleep called for him, he didn't even care that he'd just brought up Ryoga again. He didn't complain either, when he closed his eyes and pretended he was lying in Ryoga's futon-bed, inhaling the scent of the down-filled pillow under his head that smelled like Ryoga's hair. As sleep pulled him under, his body too exhausted, he didn't try to deny the fact that the thought brought a warm smile to his face. Nor did he jolt himself awake from the following dream that occured as he was fully pulled into unconciousness...

Where his eyes fluttered open slowly to reveal Ryoga's face inches from his. He could even feel the morning sun, warm on his bare skin. Ryoga's hazel eyes, milk-chocolate brown with wisps of emerald green. His hair almost like liquid gold as the golden-yellow strands in his brown hair where illuminated by the morning light. Ranma felt the muscles in his mouth twitch as his lips pulled into a lazy smile. Ryoga grinned, showing off his protruding canines. He reached out slowly, and brushed Ranma's long black bangs away from his eyes. Ryoga's mouth moved, forming mute words.

"What was that?" Ranma heard his own voice come out, sounding like it was under water. Ryoga appeared as if he hadn't heard him, and shifted towards him, leaning in slowly. Then, there was a soft white glow that enveloped the scene before him, spreading across it like a flame over paper, until everything was perfectly white.

Then Ranma woke up.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Wooooot! :D Ryoga isn't dead! Haha you guys didn't actually think I would kill that dude off, did ya? If I did that, we wouldn't have a story. O.O

Yup. Like I said in the first chapter, shit shall meet the fan. And spew all over the damn place. Ew. Gross.

Anyways, I hope you guys can understand Ranma's, er, mental issues. As Ryoga (that smart bastard) pointed out, Ranma has in fact made himself believe that he's sixteen again. Why? Well, y'all will find that out later. ;)

Stay tuned for Chapter Three of Vow...where Ryoga gets persistant and Ranma gets confused. xD


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

* * *

><p>Ranma couldn't shake the dream from his mind, he thought irritably as he walked down the stairs. It was as fresh as a memory that had occured only seconds ago and Ranma, to his great dismay, had a<em> very <em>good memory. He tried to put his mind on other concerning matters, like what he should make for breakfast.

Suddenly, he heard a window-shattering scream, which scared so many wits out of him he very nearly fell down the stairs. His foot lost it's hold and he slipped, yelping in surprise and snatching the railing with both hands to keep from tumbling painfully down the wooden stairs. His head shot up to the sound of the front door snapping open and Akane barrelling inside, her eyes wide.

"What the heck are ya screamin' about?" Ranma blurted in exasperation, pulling himself up onto his feet again.

Akane's whole body was trembling. "Y-you have mail," she squeaked.

Ranma put his hands on his hips, and raised a brow inquisitively. "Oh, really? That so? I've got mail, you say? Please, Akane, tell me what the heck is so darn _shocking_ about me gettin' mail that you've gotta wake all of freakin' Tokyo with yer screamin', huh?"

Akane held up a piece of paper in her hand, which was shaking so badly Ranma could see from where he stood on the stairs. Ranma squinted, and saw that what she held was a small envelope. Ranma came down the rest of the stairs and strode up to Akane, taking the envelope from her trembling fingers. Examining the envelope, he found that it was already torn open. He walked over into the dining room, pulling a peice of folded paper out of the envelope.

The words were written in bright green ink.

_Ranma,_

_ I miss you._

_ Yours,_

_ Ryoga_

"What does this mean, Ranma?" Akane cried, causing Ranma to jump.

"I..." Ranma began.

"Is this some sort of horrible joke?" Akane snapped, suddenly turning appalled and furious. "Who would send...who would_ send _that to you? Who would do such a wretched thing? H-he's been gone for four whole years and this...this _monster _sends this as some sort of sick, heartless-"

"_Akane_," Ranma said loudly, breaking off her tangent. "Ryoga is alive."

Akane eyes bulged. "_What_?" she exclaimed.

Ranma took a deep breath. "Ryoga is alive. He...he came here yesterday, while you were out shopping." Ranma said, as calmly as he could muster. It was hard enough saying his name after that dream he'd had the other night.

"He's _alive_?" Akane whispered.

Ranma nodded.

Akane opened her mouth to say more, but Ranma suddenly walked past her and out of the room. Stunned, she whirled around and caught sight of him making his way up the staircase. She hurried out of the dining room to the foot of the stairs, just as Ranma's retreating form disappeared out of sight.

"Ranma!" she called, but he did not reply, nor did he come back. Akane's shoulders slumped, and she sighed audibly.

This explained Ranma's strange behaviour last night, she thought. Sure, it certainly wasn't rare for the prude to run away from her romantic advances, but then he'd gone and slept in the guest room. Akane's brows furrowed in concern, but she walked into the kitchen to fix up breakfast, deciding to leave him alone, for now.

* * *

><p>Ranma was breathless when he'd reached the guest bedroom, even though he'd walked slowly. His back pressed against the shoji door, his hand over his racing heart, praying it would slow down because it raced so fast it bordered on painful. He suddenly growled in anger, clenching his teeth together, and stormed over to the dresser. He wrenched open an empty drawer and shoved the letter inside. He was about to slam it back shut when something caught his eye. The drawer wasn't empty after all.<p>

There was another piece of paper, stained slightly green, water-damaged, and crumpled and wrinkled like aged skin. Curious, Ranma took the paper out of the drawer, and flipped it over. On the other side, there were smudges of faded black ink where words used to be, now unreadable. In fact, the whole page was absolutely impossible to decipher, all except the last few lines. They were rather smudged, but the words were legible.

_I miss you._

_ Ryoga_

Ranma sucked in a sharp breath, and practically threw the wrinkled paper back in the drawer and slammed in shut. He spun around and started to pace the room, his mind whirling. The burning sensation returned and it was if a wall in his mind crumbled down and behind it revealed many, many things kept dammed inside.

* * *

><p><em>It had turned into something of a routine. <em>

_ Ranma would sit in the kitchen at the island, drumming his fingers on the table top, a cup of tea beside him. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Around midnight each night, he'd give up and retire to bed, a little more disappointed with each night that passed._

_ It had been exactly three weeks, and even Ranma was starting to admit to himself he was getting worried. Sure, he'd been gone much longer than this many times before. That didn't make much of a difference however. _

_ "Come on, stupid..." Ranma muttered to himself. _

_ The kitchen was completely silent. Ranma glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost one in the morning, and his eyes were heavy with lack of sleep. He decided it was once again futile, and got up and made his way out of the kitchen, his cup of tea forgotten. _

_ He made his way up the stairs, his body heavy from more than just exhaustion. He reached their bedroom, opening the door and stepping inside. Just as he was about to shut the door behind him, he heard a noise. He perked up, but tried hard not to get his hopes up too high. It could just be the house settling. Yeah, that was it. Just the house._

_ There were more noises, and as Ranma listened further, he heard that they came from downstairs. Caution be damned, Ranma flew out the bedroom and down the stairs. To his heart's great relief, there stood Ryoga, a travel pack on his shoulders. He was disheveled, and that was putting it nicely. He was covered head to toe in filth, dirt, and grime. There were even leaves and brambles stuck in his brown hair, which was tangled in clumps. From what bare skin he could see, he was covered in scratches, some minor, some fresh and bleeding slightly. _

_ To sum it all up, Ryoga looked like a disgusting ball of wet hair in a shower drain. Though others would have scrunched up their noses and demanded the filthy boy take a well-needed shower and stayed ten feet away, Ranma had no problem running over and throwing himself at Ryoga with such impact he nearly brought both of them to the ground had it not been for Ryoga's strength. _

_ "Sorry I'm late," Ryoga said sheepishly. "did I miss supper?"_

_ "You idiot...!" Ranma sighed, kissing him deeply. Ryoga returned the kiss with enthusiasm, but looked clearly baffled when Ranma pulled away. _

_ "I should, er...probably get a shower, no?" Ryoga said with a nervous chuckle. _

_Ranma wasn't paying any attention. He kissed Ryoga's dirty cheeks, down over his jaw, along his neck. He roughly pulled down the collar of Ryoga's shirt as much as he could and kissed the skin there. He wrapped his arms around Ryoga's neck, kissing him longingly on the lips. Ryoga groaned, obviously very torn._

_ "Ranma..." he sighed. "It's barely been a minute, and I've already covered you in dirt." He wiped a smudge of dirt off of Ranma's cheek. _

_ "So?" Ranma replied simply, continuing his barrage of kisses. _

_ "I'm not implicating in any way that you should stop. All I'm saying is that we can continue this after I've gotten a shower." Ryoga explained, with difficulty as Ranma nibbled on his ear gently._

_ He heard Ranma laugh lightly. Ranma placed his hands on Ryoga's shoulders, sliding the straps of his pack off. The bag fell loudly to the floor. Ranma turned Ryoga around, and pressed his palms onto his chest, pushing him backwards into the living room. He had a coy little smile on his face that sent Ryoga's heart into a frantic flutter, and thousands of butterflies promptly had nosebleeds in his stomach._

_ Kissing him with hunger, Ranma grabbed his shirt and yanked it over Ryoga's head. Pulling away briefly, Ranma examined Ryoga's exposed chest, running his fingers lightly over the small scratches and bruises. He pushed Ryoga back further until Ryoga stumbled backward and landed on the small couch. Ranma straddled him, running his hands up his chest, over his shoulders, then up to grip his tangled hair. He yanked it gently, pulling Ryoga's head back. He brought his mouth down on his again, kissing him with a frantic desperation yet slow gentleness._

_ Ranma pulled away softly, and Ryoga's eyes fluttered open and gazed upon Ranma's flushed face, his eyes shimmering with affection and mirth, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a mischievous smirk._

_ "We can _both_ get clean when we're done." Ranma whispered. _

_He pushed them down onto the couch, and quickly made up for two weeks of seperation. The other week was made up in the shower afterwards._

* * *

><p>Ranma stood in the middle of the room, motionless and silent. His eyes wide, and his cheeks flushed deep pink. His mouth hung slightly open, and when he recollected himself he noticed his breathing was ragged. He clamped his hand over his mouth, shutting his eyes tightly. He shook his head, as if willing the red on his face to fade away at the action.<p>

_What the hell was that! Did I just have a fantasy about RYOGA?_

_ No, you dumbass. That was a memory. _

_ W-was not!_

_ Was too. You remember it as clear as day. You were married for almost a year, and Ryoga had gotten himself lost again. He'd been gone three weeks, you were getting worried about him. Then, when he finally made it home, you were so relieved that..._

_ Aaaargh! I know, I saw it!_

"Dammit!" Ranma snapped, running his fingers through his hair angrily. He stormed out of the room and down to the kitchen, where he smelled something burning. There was a pot in the sink, still smoking, with some..._something-or-other _on it. Akane sat at the island, looking forlorn, eating a bowl of cereal. She'd messed up on breakfast again, he surmised.

Ranma went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Akane chewed quietly, silently watching him as he unscrewed the cap and took a swig. He seemed tense, and for some reason his face was tinted red. Akane took a deep breath and summoned up her courage.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Akane asked suddenly.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"You didn't tell me Ryoga was alive, or that he came over here yesterday. Why? I'm your wife, Ranma, you should tell me these sorts of things." Akane said quietly.

Ranma grunted, shrugging. "Never seemed like the right moment."

Akane looked at him and frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? There doesn't need to be a right moment, you just have to tell me. Hell, it would have been a lot nicer to have heard it from you before I got that mail today. Do you have any idea how much that scared me?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter if I told you or not. Ya know now, so what's the big deal?" Ranma said bluntly.

Akane gave him a dark look. She got up and put her dishes in the sink along with the smoking pot. She turned on him, her expression serious.

"We're married, Ranma. Get that through your head. Ryoga actually being alive, and back in Nerima...that's huge. That's big news. I deserve to hear it from you straight away. Don't keep things from me, especially things like this." she told him.

Ranma tossed his water bottle back in the fridge, half-empty. "I'm goin' to the dojo." he muttered.

"What you're _doing _is avoiding me!" Akane snapped. "_Again_!"

"I'm_ going out_!" Ranma shouted back, slamming the door behind him and heading out to the dojo. When he got there, he stared at the sign at the front of the room, which now had his family name as well as Tendo. Seeing it now suddenly made his stomach churn, and suddenly he didn't feel like working out. All of his energy had flooded out of him. He turned and walked out of the dojo, and decided to go for a walk to clear his mind.

* * *

><p>If he was going to be completely honest with himself, he had to admit he was utterly miserable. In fact, he'd been miserable for the last few years. He was just a good actor, but yet some days he would be tired of acting and be an absolute wall of pessissism to everyone close to him. He'd been doing a good job of hiding it for quite a while...and then Ryoga showed up and all of a sudden Ranma couldn't shake the heavy feeling inside of him.<p>

He could vaguely remember a feeling of contentness last night, just before he'd gone to bed, but he couldn't seem to remember why he'd felt that way. When he tried, it was like he put up a wall to block himself out. He wanted to see it, but he didn't. He figured there had to be something he'd thought of last night that made him feel so happy, and yet his mind also told him he was simply imagining things. Ranma rubbed his temples, severely confused by his strange and conflicting thoughts, frustrated by his fight with Akane, and all around miserable about the entire situation as a whole.

Ranma was pulled out of his thoughts when he caught sight of something like smoke billowing through the air a short distance away. The further he walked, the closer he came to the smoke. As he got closer, he saw that the smoke was coming from a vacant lot. As he walked past the lot, he noticed the smoke was in fact coming from a kettle on a small burner, and was actually steam from whatever was boiling inside. There was a yellow tent that the kettle on the burner sat just outside of. Just as Ranma looked at the tent as he walked by, the tent flap opened and a man crawled out, a cup of instant ramen in his hand.

_ I made camp in a vacant lot, and as I write I'm waiting for the water to boil for my luxurious dinner of instant beef-flavoured ramen. _

The words flashed through Ranma's head, written in neat scrawl on a piece of slightly worn paper. Suddenly, the words blotched and became unreadable as liquid splashed over them. At first, Ranma was confused at the image, but then he thought to himself of the letter he'd received, the day of the-

"Ranma!"

Ranma gasped slightly, and the feeling of recognition left as quick as it came. He looked up to see Ryoga in the vacant lot, standing up and staring at him. Ranma's eyes widened, and he started walking again, idly wondering why he'd stopped in the first place.

"Ranma, wait!"

Ryoga quickly caught up to Ranma and grabbed his shoulder before Ranma could start to run with all his speed; if he had done so, Ryoga would have never caught him. Today, however, it seemed Ranma's legs were made of lead. Maybe he was hadn't been training hard enough recently.

_ Or maybe, you didn't try very hard to escape because you _want _to be caught._

_ Shut up!_

"Hands off, bacon breath!" Ranma snapped, jerking himself out of Ryoga's grip. He started to run again, but Ryoga snagged his wrist, pulling him back. "Lemme go!"

"Will you just wait a minute,_ please_? I just want to talk to you!" Ryoga begged, tugging him closer. Ranma desperately tugged his arm, trying to pry his hand free, but it was hopeless. Where Ranma was insanely fast, Ryoga had brute strength.

"We already talked! I thought you said you were gonna leave me alone?" Ranma cried, still trying to pull himself free even though he knew it was in vain.

"...I lied, okay?" Ryoga replied simply. "Back when we were younger I made melodramatic proclamations of that sort a lot. Goodbye forever, we'll never meet again...that sort of thing. I guess you could say it's an old habit of mine to say things I don't mean."

_What does he mean, when we were 'younger'? He's talkin' like we're adults or somethin'..._

_ That's because you are._

"So that whole nonsense about you bein' in love with me, you didn't mean that either, right?" Ranma asked, looking over his shoulder at Ryoga.

Ryoga's eyes softened and he gave a small laugh, a laugh that sounded to Ranma as if he were _mocking_ him. "No, Ranma,_ that _one I meant."

"Still goin' on about that, are you?" Ranma quipped.

"I guess so, since I have been for the last six years." Ryoga replied.

Ranma blinked. "Ryoga, I was_ ten _six years ago. You didn't even_ know _me." Ranma told him.

Ryoga deadpanned. "Ranma, you aren't sixteen." Ryoga said calmly. "I don't know why you started acting and pretending like you are...but you aren't. I was going to try and snap you out of this in a more gentle way considering you've probably been like this since...since that hurricane...but-"

"_What_ hurricane?"

_Shirokuro whimpering under the table. The whole house shaking. The tea spilling onto the letter that Ryoga sent from-_

"Stop decieving yourself, Ranma." Ryoga said. "It won't do anyone any good."

Ranma finally ripped his hand out of Ryoga's, and turned to face him, glaring. "I ain't decieving myself." he snapped.

_Yes, you are. _

Ranma blocked out the voice, his glare deepening.

"I'm sixteen years old. I'm married to Akane, and we've taken over the Anything-Goes school like our father's promised we would do. There wasn't any hurricane. You don't love me, and I ain't married to _you_. _We_ are rivals in the Art, and you hate my guts!"

Ryoga sighed in frustration. Ranma had always been a good actor; it appeared he was so good he could even make himself believe his own lie. Had everyone else around him been playing along, decieving him as well? Did they just all pity him too much to show him the truth? Ryoga didn't want to do it, but he had no other options. Ranma had severely warped his own phyche, and now the only way to put it back to normal was to wound it. Shatter it to pieces so Ranma could glue them back together the right way. He didn't want to mess with Ranma's head, cause him this mental turmoil...but he had no choice.

"If you're sixteen," Ryoga said. "are you still going to Furinkan High School?"

Ranma frowned, looking puzzelled by the strange question. He seemed deep in thought for a moment.

_Coming up with his lie_, thought Ryoga.

"No," said Ranma, standing up straighter. "I dropped out. School is a waste of time for a martial artist, anyways."

"Then what about Akane? School is important to her. Does she still go?" Ryoga pressed.

_He's only fabricated his own lie. It's not like all the people around him stopped living because he did. He'd have to make up something to go along with his own story._

Ranma shrugged, scratching his nose. "She probably studies in her spare time." he said vaguely.

_Akane may love you, Ranma, but she'd _never_ give up her education for you._

"Isn't sixteen kind of young to be married?" Ryoga continued.

Ranma puffed out his chest. "Doesn't matter how old we are," he said. "I love Akane."

Ryoga looked away at nothing, looking thoughtful. "Is that so? From what I remember, when _I _asked you, you yelled at me and said we were too young."

The burning feeling came back, and he could see himself, and Ryoga. They wore regular shirts and jeans. Ranma was looking at Ryoga, red in the face, looking angry yet nervous.

_We're seventeen! We're too young to think about something like that!_

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ranma muttered.

_Why don't we just...wait a while? Ask me again then and see what I say._

"So I waited," Ryoga went on, like Ranma hadn't spoken at all. "I waited a whole year, in fact, just to be perfectly sure I'd given it enough time. I asked you if you wanted to do some training up in the mountains, and you excitedly agreed. You loved it when we went on training trips together. So we went up to the mountains for a week, and spent the whole time training, using the hot springs, going for walks in the forest...whatever we wanted. One night, the sky was so clear you could see every single star. We were sitting out by the campfire, and you were watching the sky, and saying how one of the reasons you loved to go on training trips was to get away from the city and see the whole sky without all the smog in the way."

_You don't see this many stars down in the city, do ya? You sorta forget how many stars are really up there until ya go out and see 'em all, an' it amazes you every time. I guess that's the wonder of it..._

Ranma stared at Ryoga, his mind replaying the whole night, and yet screaming at Ryoga to stop. His mouth refused to move, and he listened as Ryoga continued, still looking up at nothing, a reminiscent smile on his lips.

"I said that we should try to find some place where we could see the whole sky and all the scenery. You knew just the place, and were eager to show me. It was a cliff nearby, and you could look across the whole valley from there. Do you remember what happened after that, Ranma?" Ryoga finally looked him in the eye, and his eyes held a hidden plea.

_Of course I remember. You took my hand suddenly and I looked at you, and you were smiling at me. I smiled back, and then all of a sudden you dropped down, still holding my hand. You looked up at me, and let out this strange, nervous little laugh. I usually laughed at you whenever you did that, but at that moment I was frozen; I could only stare at you. You reached into your pocket and pulled out a gold ring, holding it up pinched between your thumb and first finger, and you still had that nervous little grin on your face. Then-_

"...I asked you if a year was a long enough time for you to think it over." Ryoga said amusedly. "You just stared at me for a long time, before you laughed and said-"

..._I think I've made up my mind now._

_ Your grin got so big I laughed even harder. Then you slipped that ring on my finger so fast it was like you were scared I was going to change my mind in the next five seconds. _

"We were married for two years. Those two years were the happiest of my whole life." Ryoga said, taking a step towards Ranma. "What I can't understand is how those two years were so easy for you to forget. Like they meant nothing to you at all."

_They meant the world to me, you fool._

Ranma could only stare at Ryoga, lost in his eyes, which looked at him with such affection yet such betrayal.

_It hurts too much to hold on to a world that you think has left you behind._

"I refuse to believe you have completely wiped away the memories of those years we spent together," Ryoga muttered. "Somewhere, deep inside of you, I know they're all there."

_I had to bury them deep or they would eat me alive._

_ Now each one is resurfacing and it's tearing me apart._

"_Shut up_!" Ranma shouted. "Just leave me_ alone_!"

Ranma turned around and ran away, hearing Ryoga call his name, but he dove around a corner and ran as fast as he could, losing him instantly. Strange sounds that sounded like sobs escaped his throat as he ran, but he wasn't crying. At least, he really hoped he wasn't. He ignored the looks of confusion, bafflement, and concern from the people he rushed by on the street. He would have jumped to the rooftops, but his legs still felt too heavy. He pushed his way through the crowds of people on the streets, sometimes earning shouts and curses, but he kept running.

He leapt over the Tendo wall, leaping across the yard and up onto the roof, then slipped inside his bedroom. His breath ragged, he dragged his heavy legs to his dresser, as if moved by a strange force. He opened a drawer filled with random knick-knacks, and he dug through. He knew what he was looking for, and yet he didn't.

He pulled out a necklace made of thin chain, which held a golden band. He held up the chain, watching the gold band turn slowly and flicker when the lights hit it. He put it around his neck, and fastened it. Instantly, he brought his hands up again to undo it and put it back, but his hands froze on the chain. Then they fell, and he kept the necklace on. He looked down at himself for a moment, feeling strange yet right all at once. As he walked towards the shoji door, he took the ring and tucked it beneath his shirt. He could feel it's weight and coolness on his bare chest.

He smiled at the feeling, hating himself for it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

A rift that has been left ignored for four years between Ranma and Akane is making itself more visible, while Ryoga persistently tries to break Ranma's self-inflicted brainwashing. Ranma continues to battles his conflicting thoughts, feelings, and emotions. And the more he thinks about Ryoga, the closer he gets to breaking free.

Has everyone really been decieving Ranma all this time, playing along with his own lie? Will Ryoga finally get through to Ranma? And what of Akane and Ranma's relationship, and marriage?

Holy crap, are things gettin' freaking complicated, or what?

Stay tuned for Chapter Four!

- Jadells


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

* * *

><p>Ranma entered the kitchen the next morning, finding Akane leaning against the counter and drinking a glass of water, wearing her jogging clothes and looking slightly sweaty from her morning run. She looked over at Ranma, who had slept in the guest bedroom for the second night in a row. They hadn't exactly made up from their fight yesterday, not that either one of them had made a big effort to do so. He didn't meet her eyes as he entered the kitchen, saying only a small good morning before grabbing things for breakfast. Akane watched him work, looking at his clothes with wide eyes.<p>

"That's the shirt I bought for you," Akane said suddenly. "and those jeans. I got those ages ago and you told me you didn't want them. Why the change of heart?"

Was he trying to make it up to her? Was this his silent way of apologizing for yesterday? Wearing the clothes she'd given him? Ranma simply shrugged as he cracked an egg into the frying pan.

"Just felt like a change, I guess. My old stuff is startin' to get a little tight in places." he replied.

"Are those clothes okay? You never go with me to get clothes for you so I just have to guess your size on everything, and what you might like." Akane said, running her finger around the rim of her glass.

"They're fine. Perfect fit." Ranma muttered, trying to make his egg sunny-side-up, but he spilled the yolk out and cursed under his breath, quickly mending the broken egg the best he could.

Akane smiled, and set her glass on the counter. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She felt his back tighten, then slowly relax.

"You look good in that. I haven't seen you in clothes like these since..." Akane trailed off, realizing what she'd almost said. Ranma didn't have to hear the whole sentence to know.

_...Since four years ago, when you were with Ryoga. _

_ Then I stopped wearing them and went back to my old Chinese shirts so I could properly live my lie._

Ranma closed his eyes tightly, shutting out that impossible voice of reason he'd come to hate so much, even though it was his own voice. Yet it sounded so much older, for some reason. Wiser...as if it knew some big secret and was keeping it from Ranma, and mocking him for being such a naive child. Ranma frowned deeply at this thought.

Akane bit her lip, her arms still wrapped around him. She reached up high on her tip-toes to lightly brush her lips on the back of his neck.

"Eggs'r done." Ranma mumbled. "You having some?"

Akane smiled. "Sure," she said. "but c'mere for a second..."

She turned him around, reaching up and kissing his lips slowly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently moving her lips along his. She broke away, and gave him a sweet smile, her eyes liquid chocolate in their softness.

"The eggs'll burn." Ranma said simply, turning around and scooping all the eggs onto a plate. Akane glared at the eggs, which weren't close to being burnt. She took a step back, her eyes digging into his back. He didn't seem to notice, taking out some pieces of fish and then going to make some toast.

Akane muttered under her breath about going to wash up before breakfast, then walked out of the kitchen. Ranma waited in silence for the toast to be ready, drumming his fingers on the counter and feeling a small weight on his chest, pressed against his bare skin from the inside of his new shirt. Ranma's fingers felt around the collar of his shirt, touching the golden chain hidden underneath, his eyes far away.

Then the toast popped up, and Ranma quickly jerked his hand away, realizing what he'd been doing.

* * *

><p>After breakfast, Ranma went along with Akane to get groceries. The excursion was fairly quiet, aside the occasional reply to certain questions or remarks. As Akane went to grab something at the end of the aisle, Ranma quickly snuck a carton of ice cream into the cart, darting his head around to see if she'd caught him. At the register, when Akane pulled out the extreme double chocolate ice cream (with brownie peices) Ranma looked away, pretending to be interested in the silly celebrity scandals on the magazines.<p>

When they got home it was nearly time for Ranma's adolescent class in the dojo. He went upstairs to get changed into his gi. Standing in just his white gi pants, he looked down at the chain around his neck, holding the golden band, twinkling up at him almost teasingly. Ranma frowned down at it, considering taking it off for his lesson. He pinched the ring between his first finger and thumb, holding it up. Ranma sighed loudly, and threw on his gi top, tying his black belt aroud his waist. Then he went down to the dojo to set up for his class.

After about twenty minutes his students arrived and he started with a warm up, then made them start on the kata he'd been teaching them. He walked around the training hall, commenting here and there, making corrections in form and posture. When the long exercise ended, he told the class to take a breather, which they eagerly accepted. The throng of teenagers went to grab their bags for bottles of water or snacks, chatting amongst each other. A boy came up to Ranma, looking flushed from his work out.

"What's up, Chiaki?" Ranma asked.

"Washroom, sensei?" the boy, Chiaki, asked.

Ranma nodded, telling him the directions to the bathroom, and the boy thanked him and left. Ranma went to grab a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow, talking to a group of enthusiastic boys who were wondering if they were going to have sparring matches today.

"Saotome-sensei?"

Ranma looked up at the call, which came from the entrance to the dojo. There stood Chiaki, his face confused and slightly freaked out. Curious, Ranma walked over to the boy, who kept looking over his shoulder at something while Ranma walked up to him. The dojo was starting to quiet down, low murmurs floating around while Ranma padded across to Chiaki.

"What is it, Chiaki?" Ranma asked.

"Um, there's a man here, sensei. He, er...he kinda...um, leapt over the wall, and when he spotted me he ran over and asked for you. He's waiting outside." Chiaki replied.

"That so? Okay, thanks." Ranma said, brushing past the confused boy. The murmurs intensified as Ranma walked out, wondering if this anonymous man was a challenger or dojo destroyer, come to face the great Ranma Saotome.

Ranma senced a presence as soon as he exited the dojo, and looked to his right. His chest tightened as he saw Ryoga standing there on the small porch outside the dojo. He was wearing his large travel pack, had some dirt stains on his yellow shirt, and his hair was a little frazzled. Ranma took in the sight of him, and calculated that Ryoga had most likely left the vacant lot yesterday, after he'd run off. Then he got lost in a forest somewhere all night, and just made it to the dojo now. Though this was an impressive feat; Ryoga usually got himself lost for a week or more.

Ranma crossed his arms over his chest, and kept a short distance from Ryoga, which Ryoga either didn't notice or didn't care about. Ranma shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable. It still felt like the pig was feeling him up with his eyes alone, the way he stared at him. The gaze was so intense Ranma could feel it tingling his bones. Ryoga's hazel eyes were lit with something that Ranma felt shouldn't be in the eyes of his rival. Something that made Ranma feel like Ryoga was looking right through him, looking into the very core of his being and grabbing onto his soul.

"What're you doin' here?" Ranma bit out sharply, flicking his braid over his shoulder with his hand. He caught the tiniest smile flash across Ryoga's features before he quickly covered it up. Ranma frowned, wondering why he'd suddenly smiled.

"I came here to-" Ryoga began.

"I'm teaching a class right now, man." Ranma cut in bluntly. "Can't this wait until later?"

Ryoga shook his head, and took a step closer. "No, this can't wait. Otherwise I'm going to chicken out." Ryoga said. "Look, Ranma, I came here to give you something. That's all. After that, I'm leaving right away, I promise."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Give me somethin'?" he echoed. "I don't think you've got anythin' I'd want, pighead. If yer handin' out souvenirs go see Akane. Ya always used ta give her stupid little gifts. I don't want any."

"This isn't a stupid little gift, Ranma. It's very important. It's a memoir of trust and loyalty. A tie between two people that can never be severed. A promise to-"

Ranma held up his hand. "Alright, enough. Yer startin' with the whole melodrama bit." Ranma said. "So, what is this thing, if it's so important?"

"This," Ryoga said simply, reaching into his shirt collar. It was a old string, but hanging at the end of the string was a shiny golden band. Ranma's eyes widened at the sight of it, and his throat closed up, leaving him unable to speak. He could feel the ring against his skin, as if it was searing his flesh. As if on instinct Ranma reached up and pulled his shirt more tightly closed, hoping the golden chain around his throat hadn't been visible.

"...So what is that?" Ranma asked stupidly, feigning ignorance.

"It's my wedding ring." Ryoga told him, pulling the string up over his head. He walked up to Ranma, holding up the ring. "I've kept it with me this entire time, of course. You and I always wore our rings around our necks. I did it so I wouldn't lose it, you because you didn't like it around your finger."

Ranma could feel the little circle pressing into his hand which still held his gi top tightly closed. Ranma didn't even try to argue they had never been married, and that Ryoga was telling lies. Somehow, that just seemed too stupid, even for him.

_How can you deny it with the truth tied around your neck?_

"So you're sayin' you're going ta give this to me?" Ranma asked, keeping himself stone-faced.

"Yes, I am." Ryoga replied. He chuckled nervously, and a forced smile pulled his lips. "Although, I_ really _don't want to."

"Well, how the heck does_ that _make sense?" Ranma blurted. "If ya don't want to give it to me, don't give it ta me!"

"I _have_ to." Ryoga said, closing his eyes. "I have to."

"Now you're not makin' any sen-hey!" Ranma suddenly cried out as Ryoga grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand up. In his other hand, he held the string. The ring dangled over Ranma's upturned palm.

"I want you to hold onto this for me, Ranma." Ryoga told him quietly. "Take care of it for me. When the time comes, give it back to me."

"Whaddaya mean, 'when the time comes'?" Ranma asked, very confused.

"When you've made your choice." Ryoga said. "You either give this back to me...so that I can have something to remember us...or, you give it to me so I may proudly wear it to show that I'm yours."

Ranma went red at this and opened his mouth to yell at him, but suddenly the cool ring was dropped into his open palm, and Ryoga closed his fingers around it. Before Ranma could do anything, Ryoga bent down and kissed the knuckles on his closed fist, and gave his hand a squeeze in both of his. He looked up at Ranma, his eyes a mixture of many things that Ranma was still trying to decipher long after Ryoga dashed off and jumped over the wall again.

Ranma stood still, looking down at his closed hand. Opening it slowly, he stared at the shimmering golden ring lying in a bed of old ragged string. His lips pulled into a tight line, a pout, a frown. Then he sighed roughly and pulled the string over his head and tucked the ring inside his shirt. Then he walked back inside to resume his class.

* * *

><p>Later on, after Ranma was finished his class, he went upstairs to take a bath, sweaty from his workout. He stripped out of his gi and threw the clothes in the hamper, and was standing in his boxers filling a pail with cold water when he realized he was still wearing the necklaces. Looking in the mirror, he noticed that the chain and string were wound up in each other, and Ranma brought his hand up to pull the two strings apart.<p>

_ A tie between two people that can never be severed._

Ranma's hand stopped as the voice rolled through his head. He watched his reflection in the mirror as emotions rolled across his face, then down at the rings. Ranma pulled off both necklaces at once, then untangled the strings. Then, he undid the latch on the gold chain of his necklace, and looped it through Ryoga's ring, then clipped it back together again. He held up the necklace, which now held the two gold rings at the end, one overlapping the other. It looked as if they were looped around each other, held by two seperate strings.

_A tie between two people that can never be severed._

Placing the necklace on the sink, Ranma got himself ready to enter the bath.

* * *

><p><em>"Why couldn't you propose to me with somethin' I can actually work with?"<em>

_Ryoga looked up from a magazine he was reading, seeing his fiance looking very agitated by the doorway to Ryoga's bedroom. Ryoga closed the magazine and sat up in his bed, looking confused._

_ "Like wristbands," Ranma said suddenly. "I can wear wristbands."_

_ "I'm not following you." Ryoga said. _

_Ranma huffed, walking further into the bedroom. He held up his left hand and pointed at the gold band around his third finger._

_ "This bloody thing!" he snapped. "It just gets in the way!"_

_ "You've never worn a ring before. You're just not used to it." Ryoga told him calmly. _

_Ranma crossed his arms. "I can't get used to it. I just tried to do a work out, and when I punched the practise dummy, I nearly broke my finger because I forgot the damn ring was on it!" Ranma whined, tugging off the ring and frowning at his hand. He stormed up to Ryoga and showed him his hand._

_ "Look! It's brusied and I can barely move it!" Ranma complained, demonstrating by trying to move his ring finger, but the finger merely twitched. _

_ "Ouch. It is brusied." Ryoga said, taking Ranma's hand in his and running his thumb over the damaged finger. He gave it a small kiss. "Better now?"_

_He looked up to see Ranma struggling to frown at him, a deep blush on his face. He sighed loudly and plopped down beside him on the bed, Ryoga still holding his hand._

_ "No." he grumbled. _

_ "Really?" Ryoga kissed his finger again. "How about now?"_

_Ranma tried to keep the frown on his face, but wasn't doing well. "No..."_

_ "Now?" Ryoga kissed it again._

_ "Ryoga!" Ranma laughed, shoving him away and pulling his hand free. Ryoga chuckled, sitting back up and looking at the ring in Ranma's hand. _

_ "I guess we'll have to do something about this, huh?" he asked. "We can't have your ring hurting you all the time."_

_Ranma snorted. "No, we can't. I'm not going to just not wear the ring, though. I mean, I wanna wear it, but..."_

_ "I know. Why don't we wear them in a different way? Hey, they could be toe rings!" Ryoga suggested brightly._

_Ranma punched his arm. "Ryoga, be serious!" Ranma said with a laugh._

_ "Hey, I was totally serious. Okay, why don't we wear them as necklaces. We can find something to hold them with. You wouldn't even have to wear it all the time, and you could wear it under your shirt. Easy to take off, and you'd never lose it." Ryoga suggested._

_ "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea..." Ranma said quietly, nodding along as he placed his ring on the bedside table. He flicked his braid over his shoulder with his thumb._

_Ryoga chuckled, and Ranma looked up at him and raised his eyebrows. _

_ "You always do that," Ryoga explained. "flick your pigtail over your shoulder. It's one of your little habits. I don't know why, but it's sort of like a weird turn-on when you do that." _

_Ranma gave him an odd look. "You weirdo."_

_Ryoga laughed lightly, leaning closer to his fiance. "I don't do little unconscious things that secretly arouse you?" he asked, in the huskiest voice he could muster. Ranma stuck his lip out at the voice, his cheeks going a little pink at the twinkle in Ryoga's eye._

_Ryoga watched Ranma as his eyes darted down and his brow furrowed, his thinking face. Another thing he did that always made the butterlfies stir in Ryoga's stomach. Ryoga smirked at this thought as he watched Ranma. _

_ "You twiddle your fingers." Ranma mumbled suddenly._

_Ryoga barely heard him, he'd said it so quietly. "What?"_

_ "You twiddle your fingers." Ranma said in a clearer voice. "When you get nervous, or put on the spot, or you're having trouble saying something, you start to play with your fingers." _

_Ranma was bright red. _

_ "You did it when you confessed to me." Ranma added quietly. "That you liked me."_

_Ryoga leaned over and kissed Ranma's cheek. Ranma looked at him, his face asking what the sudden kiss had been for. Ryoga just shook his head, smiling, and pushed Ranma onto his back, straddling the pigtailed boy's hips and covering him with kisses. Like usual, things got very hot very fast, and clothes got in the way._

_ Ranma groaned as Ryoga kissed down his neck, his breath hitching as Ryoga found the right place inside of him. Ryoga made sure to hit the same place again, nibbling on Ranma's collarbone. Ranma bit down on his lip, groaning in his throat, but the intensity built and he opened his mouth and_

* * *

><p>Ryoga's eyes shot open and he instantly groaned in disappointment, realizing it had all just been a dream. He sat up in his sleeping bag feeling something inside demanding to be taken care of, not pleased Ryoga's dream had ended so abruptly. Ryoga shut his eyes tight, his fangs digging into his lip.<p>

His mind brought back the image of Ranma standing in front of him, wearing his gi. His face was agitated, his eyes fierce, his mouth in an angry pout. His mouth formed words but there was no sound. He flicked his braid over his shoulder with a quick snap of his thumb.

Ryoga groaned. Why did he have to be so sexy when he was mad?

Ryoga flopped back down and stared up at the ceiling of his tent, his face set in a deep frown. It was a start. At least, now it seemed like Ranma didn't deny their relationship like he used to so vehemently at first, at the mere mention of it. That was a sign of progress. Somewhere, deep down, he was getting through to _his_ Ranma. When Ryoga had pulled his ring out, he'd seen Ranma's expression. How his eyes widened, how he stared at the ring. That was _his_ Ranma. Slowly but surely, he was breaking through Ranma's barriers and getting through to him. He just needed to push a little further. Once he'd successfully broken down all of Ranma's mental walls, it was up to Ranma himself to make the final decision.

Ryoga thought deeply about what he should do, as the image of Ranma flicking his pigtail played again and again in his mind.

Meanwhile, Ranma lay in his futon, once again sleeping in his old bedroom. He'd been doing this unconsciously the past few nights, never once considering his wife down the hall in her bed, wondering for the third night in a row why he wasn't in bed with her.

He played with the rings around his neck, twirling them around in his fingers as he stared up at the ceiling. His face set in a deep, concentrated expression he thought about the events of today, his emotions, his actions, all of it. Over and over the feeling of Ryoga's lips kissing his hand, the ungaurded expressions on his face, came to his mind. Ranma sighed deeply, thinking to himself about what on earth he should do.

When he finally fell asleep, he had a very vivid, uninterrupted dream about wedding rings, habits, and a very sudden but satisfying lack of clothes.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Holy hell, what a short chapter. :I

I want to hopefully to keep this story under ten chapters...although I'm not making any promises to myself. However I've got a lot of things I want to cover in the next few chapters, so I'll probably be making them longer so I can cover more ground in fewer chapters. I just needed to get this chapter out of here, because at this point Ranma is in a balancing act, on the cusp of deciding his feelings, and if they are for Ryoga or Akane. After this chapter, he starts heading more in one direction, which will ultimately drive the plot for the remaining chapters of the story.

So, what will Ryoga do next? Find out in Chapter Five of_ Vow_!

Till next time,

Jadells


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

* * *

><p>The next morning it was raining. Ranma watched the rain pour down as he stood in the kitchen, eating a bowl of the ice cream he'd snuck into the cart at the grocery store the other day. Normally he made it a rule of his to never have sweets so early in the morning, no matter how bad his sweet tooth was when he woke up. Today however, he was making an exception. At the sight of the pouring rain, he was put in a bad mood, and desired comfort food. He hated the rain, mostly because it triggered his curse. He used to be able to play and train in the rain when he was a kid, and it never bothered him. Now, he had to worry about perverts ogling at his breasts under a soaked shirt.<p>

So, Ranma watched the rain pour from the kitchen window, shovelling chocolate ice cream into his mouth, a grumpy look on his face. He wondered what he could do on a rainy day. He didn't have any classes today, and it was Akane's day for dishes. Ranma glanced at the sink, which wasn't too full. He and Akane certainly hadn't been on the best of terms lately. Maybe he ought to make it up to her, somehow. Ranma sighed, and started to wash the dishes. In the very least, she'd appreciate it.

When that was done, Ranma was at a loss of what to do next. He certainly wasn't going to do_ all _of the chores when it was his day off from it! Then again, that would be just the thing to make it up to Akane. Though he could just apologize for biting her head off. She sort of started it, though. Besides, she'd probably dropped it already. They got into fights all the time, they just all blended into one another. He wasn't in the wrong anyways. She was just being melodramatic. How could he 'avoid' his own wife, for crying out loud?

Ranma gave up, and walked into the dining room and decided to watch television. Nothing good was on, of course. He aimlessly flicked through the channels, finding nothing of interest whatsoever. Sighing in frustration, he turned off the television and got up. Maybe he should just go for a walk. He walked over to the front entrance and looked around in the closet for an umbrella. Pulling it out he opened it, and frowned when he noticed it opened crooked.

"Stupid old piece of..." he grumbled, shoving it back in the closet. There was Akane's bright yellow umbrella at the back, standing out in the dark closet.

Ranma grimaced. Unlike Akane, he hated yellow. He took it out, and it opened instantly, perfectly intact. Ranma sighed, and went over to put on his shoes and jacket. He stepped outside, scowling at the rain and the fake, obnoxious sunlight the yellow umbrella created above his head, hurting his eyes. He walked out the front gate, where he stopped when something caught his eye. It was a long, thin cardboard box, sitting outside the Tendo gate. Ranma raised an eyebrow, and bent over to see it had his address on it.

"Big package. Wonder what it is?" Ranma muttered, sure he hadn't ordered anything recently, or Akane. She would tell him if she did, and it was clearly made out to his name.

He picked up the box one-handed, then walked back to the house. Looks like his walk would have to wait. Setting Akane's umbrella by the door, he kicked off his shoes and walked into the dining room, setting the damp box on the kotatsu. It was sealed with mimimal tape, so thankfully Ranma didn't need to go hunt down sharp objects in order to open it.

Opening the box, Ranma discovered a heap of old newspaper. Pulling out the newspapers, he revealed a bright red umbrella. A bubble of laughter burst out of his throat suddenly.

"This is certainly more my colour," he said. Then, his face fell as he got a closer look at the umbrella. He pulled it out of the box, and stared. Black wood at the handle, bright red, and slightly heavy. Actually, to a weakling this would weigh a ton, and they wouldn't have been able to carry it one-handed like Ranma was doing. He knew only one other person who could lift this umbrella, and that person was the sender himself.

The question was, why?

Ranma opened the umbrella, and something fluttered out of it. He snatched it out of the air and looked at it closer. It was a peice of paper, and a short note was written on it.

**Won't be needing this anymore. I found my way home, by the way. Shirokuro is fine.**

**Ryoga**

Ranma stared at this words for a while, his eyes hard. Then he shoved the paper in his pocket, and headed back to the front door, putting back on his shoes. Looks like he was going for a longer walk than he'd planned. With Ryoga's umbrella protecting him from the rain, he took a very familiar shortcut.

* * *

><p>Ryoga sat in his living room, flicking through the television while his other hand scratched Shirokuro's ears. The dog had not left his side since he walked through the door, so happy to see him she hadn't stopped bouncing around his ankles until he'd gone to bed, and even then she'd slept at the foot of the bed protectively, as if scared another storm would take him away from her.<p>

After four years of being away from home, he had a lot of notes and presents and very expired meals from his parents waiting for him in the kitchen. The first thing he did when he got home was spray air freshener in the kitchen, it smelled so terrible. Then he tossed all the food and read through the notes. The most recent ones had been from several months earlier. His father was away again on business, and his mother had gone grocery shopping. Neither would be back any time soon.

Just then, Shirokuro's head shot up from Ryoga's lap, and she barked and scampered off. Ryoga watched her go, confused, then got up and went after her, following her to the front entrance. She bounced around at the door, then suddenly someone on the other side knocked.

Ryoga shooed Shirokuro out of his way, and opened the door. The dog shoved past his legs, nearly knocking him over and darted outside. Ryoga, lost in the confusion heard a yelp of surprise as a black-and-white blur shot through the air.

Ryoga looked down, where Shirokuro had pinned his visiter to the ground and was licking their face. Something the dog was only known to do with him, and one other...

"Ranma?" Ryoga said, trying to look around the mound of dog hair covering up who lay underneath. He heard a shrill shriek of frustration, and Shirokuro was shoved away.

"Shirokuro, get offa me!"

Ryoga stared down at Ranma, who sat panting on the wet pavement, wiping away dog slobber with the sleeve of his raincoat. Well, he was now a she, no thanks to the rain. Ranma shook out her dripping wet, bright red hair, and stood up. She brushed herself off grouchily, ridding her self of water and dog hair. She snatched something off the ground, and pointed it at Shirokuro, who was still wagging her tail at an insane speed.

"What'd I tell ya about jumpin' me everytime I come over, ya damn dog!" Ranma snapped at Shirokuro in her soprano feminine voice.

It was then that Ryoga noticed what Ranma held in her hand was his umbrella, and he looked up at her just as she did, and their eyes met. She seemed to just realize he'd been standing at the door the entire time.

"What brings you by?" Ryoga asked, trying to keep his face nonchalant. It was a daunting task, when Ranma stood there with that cute pout on her lips, her dripping red bangs plastered to her pale skin, framing her cerulean eyes. Her black raincoat was now much too big on her, and even it would have been baggy on his male form. Ranma looked so impossibly adorable Ryoga could barely stand it. He made himself stand by the doorway, arms crossed, a blank look on his face.

"I think you know damn well why I'm here." Ranma said sharply, flicking her bangs out of her eyes. She held out his umbrella to him, her expression firm. "Explain. Why did you send this to me?"

Ryoga leaned against the doorway, and raised his eyebrows.

"Because," he replied. "I don't want it anymore."

Ranma growled audibly, and lurched forward and smacked Ryoga in the arm with the umbrella. "That's_ not _an answer!" she shouted.

Ryoga grabbed her wrist suddenly. Ranma looked from her wrist to Ryoga, looking irritated.

"Look at you, you're soaked." Ryoga sighed. "You'll catch a cold at this rate. Come on, come inside."

Before she could protest, Ryoga dragged Ranma inside. Shirokuro brushed past them, leading Ryoga into the living room. Ryoga lead Ranma over to the couch, taking the wet umbrella and placing it on the coffee table. Then he pulled off the large raincoat Ranma wore, ignoring how she jumped at the close contact.

"I'll run the bath for you." Ryoga said, hanging the coat over a chair.

"It's fine, just boil some water." Ranma argued.

"Pouring some hot water over your head may change you back, but your clothes will just get more soaked. I'll lend you some clothes." Ryoga said. "There's already a kettle on the stove, I had tea earlier so it should still be hot. Just use that and I'll be right back."

Ryoga walked off, Shirokuro following close behind to lead him to his room. Ranma watched him leave, frowning, then scoffed and walked off to the kitchen. She found the kettle on the stove and, feeling the side, discovered it was in fact still hot enough to work. She poured a small amount over head, and quickly felt the change.

His clothes felt more uncomfortable now that he actually fit into them, and the wetness bothered him. He was used to running around in wet Chinese clothes, but not jeans and a button-up shirt. Jeans were _not_ comfy when wet. Ranma walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs to Ryoga's bedroom, where he was pulling out some clothes.

_Looks like he left all of his normal clothes here,_ Ryoga thought to himself. _So he must have only taken his old Chinese clothes so he'd fit the part._

Ryoga closed the droor and opened the one that held his own clothes inside. He wasn't about to admit it out loud, since that would certainly drive Ranma away from him now, but he really wanted to see Ranma wearing his clothes. He'd done it several times four years ago, and Ryoga had found it impossibly sexy for reasons he couldn't explain. He pulled out a white T-shirt and sweats, and tossed them to Ranma.

"Uh, thanks." Ranma mumbled.

"No problem."

They stayed still for a while, staring at the other. Then Ranma frowned and looked down at the bundle of clothes in his arms.

"You just gonna stand there or are ya gonna let me change?" he grumbled, his cheeks flushing.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Ryoga blurted. "I'll just, um...go downstairs. Would you like some tea? I have hot chocolate, too."

Holy crap, he loved hot chocolate. "Hot chocolate would be nice." he said quickly, instantly biting his tongue for sounding too excited.

"Alright. Come down when you're done, I'll be in the living room." Ryoga told him, walking out with Shirokuro at his heels. "Just put your clothes on my bed, I'll deal with them later."

"Sure." Ranma muttered, watching the door close behind him. Then he pulled out of his

wet clothes, his jeans the first to go. He tossed his wet garments on the bed, then pulled on the T-shirt and sweats. As he suspected, it all hung on him. He rolled up the sweats a little, and made his way to the door. He stopped, his hand on the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder at the room, still riddled with souvenirs. The futon still sat at the wall, with his wet clothes draped on the metal bars of the headboard.

He saw flashes as he looked around the room. He and Ryoga curled up in blankets during a snowstorm, watching scary movies on the television, Ranma laughing when Ryoga jumped. Ryoga sitting on the bed, reading a book while Ranma did situps on the floor, chatting to each other. Together on the bed, looking like a human pretzel, wrapped up in each other as clothing articles were cast to the floor.

Ranma blushed bright red, and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. He walked into the living room, shaking out his wet hair with his hand. Ryoga watched him from the couch, a mug of steaming hot chocolate in his hands. He smiled breifly at the sight of Ranma in his clothes, before he hid his smirk behind the rim of his glass when Ranma looked up. Ranma walked over and sat beside him, grabbing his mug of hot chocolate. He took a small sip. His eyes lit up and his still-flushed cheeks went even redder in content at the yummy drink. Ryoga had to hold back a groan.

_He better stop being so cute or he'll be sorry. _

It certainly wasn't helping that he could still remember his _very_ vivid dreams from last night, and just looking at Ranma or hearing his voice brought the images back. He sipped his hot chocolate, his knee jittering. Suddenly, Ranma sneezed. It was almost like a cat sneeze, and Ryoga almost spurted his cocoa through his nose.

_Very, VERY sorry._

"Looks like I was right about that cold." Ryoga commented.

Ranma sniffed. "Just a random sneeze. I never get sick." he mumbled. He set down his mug and turned to face Ryoga.

"Anyways, enough chit-chat. I asked you to tell me why you sent your umbrella to me." Ranma said firmly, pointing at the umbrella, still lying on the coffee table.

Ryoga leaned back on the couch. "I already told you, I don't want it anymore."

Ranma frowned. "And I already told you that's not an answer." he quipped.

"Look, I just don't need it anymore. So I gave it to you. What's the big deal?" Ryoga sighed.

"Just the fact you've had that thing for as long as I can remember. It's your main weapon, isn't it? Plus you use it when you're travelling in the rain, so your curse isn't triggered. You need this thing more than I do." Ranma explained.

Ryoga sat up, placing his cup on the table, then looked up at Ranma. "I don't care about any of that." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  
>"It means exactly what it's supposed to mean. I don't care." Ryoga replied.<p>

"Yer gonna hafta explain that one." Ranma said with a frown.

"I don't need it's protection; from rain or enemies. Let me get turned into a helpless little piglet, or get attacked by thugs, or animals...I don't want it's protection." Ryoga explained, staring at the umbrella sitting innocently on the table.

"That doesn't make sense." Ranma said.

"It makes perfect sense." Ryoga said, turning to face Ranma again. "I don't want to be protected by anything. Let whatever comes for me, come for me. I don't care. None of that matters to me anymore." He turned his body fully, completely facing him and staring into his eyes. "In fact, nothing in my life has any meaning now."

Ranma narrowed his eyes. "There you go with the whole melodramatic bit again." he grumbled. "Cut it out, man. Why would nothing in your life have meaning to you?"

"Simple," Ryoga said. "because you're not in it."

Ranma's eyes widened, and he couldn't bring himself to look away or yell at Ryoga again for his foolishness. How could he, with Ryoga's eyes so empty and lonely? Ranma's heart suddenly lurched with a painful throb, and he looked down.

_I was a weak fool who couldn't deal with the pain of loosing the only person I'd ever loved. So I ran and hid in my past to keep myself from doing something extreme, but then instead I ended up doing something even worse. Instead of taking my life I just went back to my old one like the one I had didn't matter. _

_ But it did matter to me. _

_ It meant the world to me._

_ He meant the world to me._

_ He still does._

Ranma looked up and stared into Ryoga's deep, sad hazel eyes that still looked at him like he were made of glass.

_I love him._

Ranma stood up. Ryoga blinked, the spell he'd felt staring into Ranma's eyes suddenly broken. He looked up at Ranma, confused. He shook, and Ryoga wondered idly if he was still cold, or it was something else entirely. He watched as Ranma picked up the umbrella, then walked over and grabbed his raincoat off the chair. He never met his eyes as he pulled on his coat.

"If you really feel that way then...I guess I'll take it." Ranma muttered. "Thanks for the hot chocolate."

Ryoga stood up, his face confused.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

"Akane will wonder where I've gone."

"It's still raining."

Ranma looked up, a strange grin on his face. "Well, then I'm gonna need this umbrella after all." he said, then he hurried out of the room. Ryoga didn't try and stop him, it wouldn't do any good. Besides, he was rooted in place, his expression one of shock.

He was almost positive he'd seen tears in Ranma's eyes.

* * *

><p>Ryoga walked upstairs to his bedroom, and spotted clothes handing on his headboard. He walked over, recognizing them as the clothes Ranma had been wearing. He picked up the shirt, which was still slightly damp. It was a plain white button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Just how he'd wear a long-sleeved Chinese shirt, only this was just a regular collared dress shirt.<p>

"He's not wearing Chinese clothes anymore." Ryoga said out loud. Suddenly he smiled. Perfect. That was a good sign.

He picked up the jeans and walked out into the hall, where Shirokuro was waiting for him.

"Where's the laundry room, girl?" he asked. Shirokuro wagged her tail, and walked down the hall, Ryoga following. They reached the laundry room. Ryoga put some clothes into the dryer, then tossed the jeans in. He paused, still holding the shirt. He brought it to his nose. Yep, just as he thought. Though the smell of rain water also lingered on the material, he could also smell Ranma's undeniable scent. He smiled. He put it in the washing machine and started it, then walked out into the hall. He'd have to return them later, when they were done washing.

* * *

><p>Ranma went straight to his room when he got home. It wasn't until he was lying down on his futon that he realized he was still holding Ryoga's umbrella, and wearing the sweats and T-shirt he'd given him. He sat up, placing the umbrella beside him. He simply sat staring off into space for a long time, his thoughts scattered, forming words breifly until they seperated in their confusion again. He drew up his legs to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them. His fingers ran along his knees, feeling the softness of the sweat pants. They were extremely comfortable, and soft; baby puppy soft. Ranma rested his forehead on his knees, sighing, Ryoga's smell filling his nose everytime he moved the slightest inch.<p>

Not that he cared, and yet it bothered him that he didn't care. Ranma grimaced, hating this never ending confusion. He loved Akane, didn't he? He did, of course he did. You're supposed to love your wife. No, he'd loved Akane before she was his wife.

_I love her, but not in the way I thought I loved her when I was a kid._

Ranma opened his eyes at this admission. Yes, that was right. He wasn't a kid anymore. He wasn't sixteen. He'd been lying to himself. Ranma laughed to himself with no humor.

"What an idiot I've been." he whispered.

He was twenty-four years old, and four years ago he'd started to lie to himself and everyone in his life. Pretended he was still a sixteen-year-old boy with a puppy-love crush on Akane, before he realized the love he thought he had for Akane wasn't a romantic love, but a brotherly, protective kind. The same kind Ryoga had for Akane then, too. Then they both realized they had liked each other since junior high. He'd never felt anything romantic for any woman or man, except for Ryoga. The only other person who could lift the umbrella, the only person he was evenly matched in martial arts skill with, his only rival. The only person who ever understood him, shared his burden of a Jusenkyo curse, shared his passion with the Art.

They were perfect together.

_And I was too much of a weak-minded fool when I thought I'd lost all of that. I couldn't deal with the pain, I couldn't just have faith in him like I always did. I couldn't just wait for him! No matter how long it took! Even if it would take four years...I should have waited for him! Didn't I love him that much? _

_ Now I really have lost him._

Ranma looked over at the umbrella, his expression one of deep saddness. He picked it up delicately, remembering the first time he'd seen the umbrella. When Ryoga had tried to cave in his skull with it, seeking his revenge. Ranma smiled, and touched his right cheek, just under his eye, right on the cheek bone. It was hard to see, but there was a very thin, very tiny white scar on his pale skin. It was the cut he'd got from Ryoga the day of their big match at Furinkan, when he'd first come back into his life.

Ranma lightly brushed his fingertips along the scar. He remembered Ryoga always doing the same thing often, an apologetic look in his eyes, the corner of his lip quirked up. He stroked the white line with his thumb, never saying anything, but always with the same expression on his face. Ranma suddenly laughed lightly. Sure, he was sorry for that little scratch, but then proceeded to give him _plenty_ of scars after that. Ranma brought his hand up to his neck, right where it curved into his shoulder, feeling two little bumps there that he knew was always a hue darker than the rest of his skin.

The others like it had always healed, but this one had never gone away, a constant reminder of Ryoga's fetish. Ryoga had always had a liking for Ranma's skin, leaving impressions of his teeth (which he'd called 'love bites' but Ranma called 'battle wounds') all over his skin. They faded after a while, but Ranma had always stressed himself silly at the beginning of their relationship about his father finding the hickeys. The only one that had remained after four years was this vampire-like bite on his base of his neck, and Ranma knew it was a lifer. It happened when Ryoga had been a little too 'into it' and bit down too hard.

He'd apologized profusedly for about a week after that, constantly being too cute for Ranma to handle, constantly kissing the grotesquely purple mark on Ranma's neck, and doting to him hand and foot for almost a month. He even went as far as refraining from his biting fetish, until he looked so pent up he was sweating bullets just at the sight of Ranma's exposed neck. Ranma felt so sorry for the poor sap, he admitted to him it was a bit of a guilty turn on.

Ranma shook his head, laughing at himself.

_How could I have shut out these memories as easily as I did? Am I really that selfish? _

Ryoga's voice echoed through his mind, and Ranma could clearly see his tortured face from behind his eyelids.

_I refuse to believe you have completely wiped away the memories of those years we spent together. Somewhere, deep inside of you, I know they're all there._

Ranma opened his eyes, stroking the two indents of Ryoga's fangs, forever carved into his skin.

_Of course I couldn't have. With scars like these constantly reminding me, how could I? _

"Ranma? You in here?"

The bedroom door opened and Ranma looked up as light flooded into the dark room. He suddenly realized how late it was; he'd left Ryoga's in the late morning, and now it was almost evening. He'd been sitting here for hours. Akane stood by the door, her body cast in shadow from the light in the hallway. She wore a pale pink collared shirt with a grey blazer, and a black flowy skirt that stopped at her knee, looking like she was about to go out somewhere.

"There you are. I haven't seen you all day." Akane said. "I just wanted to let you know I made plans with Nabiki and Kasumi tonight. I'll probably be back later on tomorrow. You'll be all right by yourself?"

"Yeah, of course." Ranma replied, standing up. "See you tomorrow, then."

Akane nodded, giving him a small smile. She walked up to him and pecked him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

She walked out of the room and soon Ranma heard the distance sound of the front door closing shut. He walked out of the room, realizing just how hungry he was. He hadn't had anything to eat all day besides that ice cream and that hot chocolate at Ryoga's house. Ranma scoffed, and went into the kitchen to raid the fridge. To his great luck, he found cutlet sandwiches, some melon bread, and barbeque eel. He pulled them all out and ate it all in under ten minutes in his starvation. He washed it all down with a can of pineapple juice, then grabbed a bag of crackers, pouring them into a bowl and going over to the dining room, turning on the television. He found an anime about some guy who worked at a manga publishing company, and he quickly zoned out while munching on his crackers.

Just then he heard the doorbell go off, and he got up and headed for the door, wondering who would come at this time of night. He opened the door, and was surprised to find Ryoga standing there, dressed in his old yellow shirt and dark green pants, his backpack on his shoulders, looking weird without the red umbrella strapped on top. He held a small blue burlap bag, and gave Ranma a crooked smile.

"Evening," he greeted lightly. He held up the bag. "Thought I ought to return these."

He handed the bag to Ranma, who took it and looked inside at the contents. He recognized his jeans and shirt, and realized he'd left them at Ryoga's when he'd run out all of a sudden. He hadn't meant to leave so abruptly, it was just that his sudden mental confession had freaked him out, and he just couldn't look Ryoga in the eye.

The feeling hadn't gone away even after all his hours of soul-searching. In fact, it only intensified the feeling. He thanked Ryoga under his breath, then looked up and their eyes met. He quickly tore his gaze away, feeling his ears burn.

"Sorry I dropped in so late, but well...I left my house around noon and, uh...just found my way here now." Ryoga said, chuckling nervously.

"It's fine." Ranma replied, distracted. He pressed his lips together, and his brow furrowed. Ryoga watched him, blinking curiously, then Ranma suddenly looked up.

"Want to come inside? Akane went out with her sisters so...I'm alone. I'll put the kettle on. You're probably thirsty after walking all day." Ranma said it like a question, but was already turning around and walking off towards the kitchen.

"Sure, thank you." Ryoga said. He'd noticed the change in Ranma's voice, and the way he held himself. He seemed a little out of it, but other than that, he was acting like the old Ranma again. No more slangy, crude language; no name calling. He didn't look angry when he'd seen it was Ryoga at the door, which he would have barely two days ago. Instead, he just looked vaguely surprised. Now he was even_ inviting _him inside. Ryoga couldn't believe his luck.

He followed Ranma into the kitchen, where he was getting out cups as the water heated up. They stood mostly in silence, Ranma only speaking up to tell Ryoga he could put his backpack on the island for now. Then the hot water was ready, and Ranma made them their tea and then lead Ryoga to the dining room, where they sat down. Ryoga looked over at the television, which Ranma had left on, and stared at the screen.

"What the heck were you watching?" he asked incredulously, pointing to the television.

Ranma quickly looked at the screen, where the main character he'd seen before, a man with light brown hair and green eyes, was being practically molested by a taller man with black hair and brown eyes. Ranma gaped at the screen, then went ten shades of red.

"...You watch this sort of thing?" Ryoga asked him, genuinely surprised.

Ranma shook his head so fast he thought his head would snap off his shoulders, his face going even darker. "I-I thought it was just some normal anime about a dude who works at a publishing company! I didn't know he got_ sexually harrassed _by his boss!" he exclaimed. He quickly snatched the remote, but Ryoga laughed, waving his hand.

"No, no, leave it. This is actually kind of amusing to watch." he laughed, helping himself to a cracker.

Ranma gaped at Ryoga for a moment, but Ryoga ignored his incredulous look as he watched the screen. His shoulders dropped, and he gave up and glanced over at the screen, regretting it as soon as he did. Now the characters were kissing; the smaller one kept pushing away, resisting, but it was pretty obvious he was enjoying it what with that much of a blush the artist had given him. The two watched in silence, until the brown-haired character finally broke away, and the taller one asked him if he loved him. The other profusedly denied that he was and that he would never say he was, then ran out the door.

_That looks familiar._

Ranma gulped.

"Heh. M-maybe there's a movie on, or something." Ranma stammered, quickly snatching up the remote and flicking through the channels.

He found nothing of interest, so he settled on the news channel, pretending to be interested in the boring segment they were currently covering.

_This is awkward._

"Ranma?"

Ranma's heart jittered, and he didn't meet his gaze. "Mmm?"

"Was something the matter earlier? When you left so suddenly, something seemed...to be troubling you. You looked upset and, well...you were crying."

Ranma jumped. Crying?

"Y-you must've been seeing things. My hair was wet so...I dunno, maybe some water dropped around my eyes." he laughed nervously. "Why the hell would I cry? Anyways, I wasn't upset. Like I said, Akane was probably wonderin' where I went, so I had to leave."

"In such a rush? So quickly you forgot your clothes and went running off wearing mine still?" Ryoga asked, raising his eyebrows. "Surely Akane wouldn't be too concerned about a grown man going off on his own. She's your wife not your mother, you know. So why were you all of a sudden so hellbent on leaving?"

Ranma gulped, looking down at his cup of tea. "...I...um..." Ranma trailed off. His eyes widened as he realized he was just about to lie again.

_No. No more lies. Just stop this stupidity right now and tell him._

"Ranma?" Ryoga asked, watching as emotions kept changing on Ranma's face so fast he couldn't keep track.

"I've been an idiot." Ranma blurted.

Ryoga stared at him, unable to bring himself to say anything. Ryoga's heart started to race.

"I'm a weak, stupid kid. Just running away from my problems and pain because I can't take the thought of losing anyone. My whole childhood I was so lonely that it made me desperate for friends when I got older; friends I wouldn't just have for a few days then leave behind and never see again. So once I finally settled down here in Nerima and actually made some actual friends, I did everything to hold onto them. I held on so hard that I realized when they get torn away from me, a part of me goes with them and...I feel hollow. That's what happened with Akane when I thought that she'd..." Ranma's throat closed for a moment and he swallowed. "...when I thought she'd died, at the Jusen Caves. Yet that day pales in comparison...to the day of that earthquake."

Ryoga's eyes widened. He'd admitted there was actually an earthquake, when days ago he would have denied to Ryoga there had ever been one. If Ryoga had had any doubts this was his Ranma, then he didn't now.

"...My whole life just stopped. I had no energy to do anything, all I wanted to do was just lie in bed and sleep. When I slept, I had nightmares, so I didn't even sleep at all. I was like a living corpse, just going through the motions of everyday life to keep everyone around me happy, until I couldn't do it anymore, because the pain was just too much. Each day that went by I just lost more and more hope. That's when I finally just snapped.

She came to check on me one day, and when she left I went upstairs and fell asleep for the first time in weeks. She came back and woke me up, and...I was so out of it. I thought...she was you." Ranma voice got quiter and quiter as he spoke, staring at the tea leaves at the bottom of his cup. "I kissed her, but, then I realized it was her and I freaked out. But then...I don't know. All of sudden I started thinking about when I was younger, and I knew she was thinking the same. After that, things are just a blur. Slowly the pain inside of me started to numb until I couldn't even feel it anymore.

Then we got married, but...I think around that time I got a reality check. I realized what I was doing was crazy, but...I did it anyway. Then the wedding night came and...I think she realized then, too...that what we were doing was wrong. It was nothing but family honor that kept the both of us there, but after that...I never touched her. She's made an effort all this time to make it work but...I keep pushing her away. I know it hurts her, but deep down inside of me I always knew it wasn't right. I loved her, but not in the way she wanted me to, or in the way she thinks she loves me.

I love her. She's my best friend, and I adore her, but...she's like a sister to me. She always has been. I think deep down she knows that, but...she's had to lie to herself to go along with my lie. We were decieving everyone around us that we were a perfectly happy couple, running the dojo and taking on our father's dreams like good children, but...we were miserable. We fought constantly and never made up from any fight, just ignoring it like it hadn't happened. We both hated ourselves for our mistakes and we always took it out on each other.

Then you came back and I started to wake up, like the last four years had just been a horrible dream of lies and regrets. I was constantly at war with myself, trying to deny that I had been a stupid moron all this time, while the other side kept telling me to open my eyes and realize I've been making all the wrong decisions. The more I pushed you away, the more that other side of me kept trying to pull you closer. Then I started remembering_ everything _and the memories just wouldn't go away, and it felt like no matter what I did you were in my mind, and everytime I closed my eyes I'd see your face like it was tattooed onto the backs of my eyelids."

Ranma reached under his shirt and pulled out the gold chain, holding the two golden rings. At the sight of them, Ryoga's eyes widened again, and he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"I've been wearing this for days now. At first I hated myself for it but then I liked the familiar feeling of it there, and then after that, I slowly stopped arguing with myself. The more I thought of you the more I realized I had to stop deluding myself."

Ranma looked up from the rings and met Ryoga's eyes. They stayed that way for a while, as the news chattered on in the background, but neither of them heard it.

"A tie between two people that can never be severed." Ranma said suddenly. "That's what you said these rings represented. Six years ago, I made a vow to you that I would be with you until the day I died. I broke that promise, and I wouldn't be surprised if you never forgave me for that. I'm sorry."

Ryoga shook his head. "I won't say that you weren't wrong, Ranma...but you weren't right, either. I'm in the same position, though. We were both wrong for what we did, and because of that I can't find it in myself to blame you, and I know you feel the same way."

Ranma nodded slowly. They were silent once again, simply staring at each other. Ranma was the first to look away, down into his now-empty tea cup. He played with his pigtail, then flicked it over his shoulder. Then he cleared his throat, and grabbed their cups, getting up and escaping to the kitchen.

He had spoken a long time and admitted a lot, four years worth of confession, in fact. It was a lot to take in all at once, he was sure, and even harder to let it all out. At the same time, it felt good to get it all off of his chest at last, and Ranma felt a huge weight being finally lifted off his shoulders and a strange bubbling feeling in his stomach. He put the cups in the sink, then suddenly had to brace himself against the counter, feeling his legs waver underneath him like jell-o. His whole body shuddered violently, and he shut his eyes, feeling a tightness in his throat and chest. An ever-so-familiar choke escaped his lips, sounding like something between a gasp and a sob, and it made him remember that day as he lay in bed, before he'd changed everything.

"Ranma?"

Ranma jumped, hearing Ryoga's voice from behind him at the entrance to the kitchen. He listened to his footsteps on the tile floor, until he felt his presence directly behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Ranma shook his head, pressing his lips shut. His eyes shot open as he felt Ryoga's hand cover his own, clenched in a fist so tightly his knuckles were white. At the soothing feeling of his warm hand on his own, his hand relaxed slowly. His shoulders drooped, and he sighed shakily.

"I can't do this...!" he cried softly. He turned around, and his stomach clenched into a knot at how close Ryoga was to him. He gathered back his resolve with difficulty.

"I can't do this to her." he said in a low voice, looking down at the floor. "She pretty much saved my life, back then. If I hadn't gone to her I would've...I would've done something really selfish."

Ryoga knew what he meant, and his heart ached at the thought of Ranma even considering such a release. What made it even worse was the fact it was his fault those thoughts were put in his head in the first place.

"After all she's done for me...I can't just tell her 'thanks for your help, now beat it'. That isn't fair to her. I built this wall on my own, and now there's nothing I can do to get around it. Besides, I love Akane. I used to love Akane more than just in a brotherly way. I can make myself love her like that again. I can make this marriage work, for both of our sakes. I love her." Ranma repeated the mantra in his head, trying to make himself believe it just might work. His mental chant was cut off as he felt Ryoga lift his chin up. Ranma blinked, staring into Ryoga's pleading eyes.

"But you love me too." he said firmly. "I _know_ you do."

Ranma stared at him, feeling his face burn, travelling through his blood until his whole body felt like it was boiling. He looked away, down at the floor again, his heart racing. He took a deep breath.

"...I do." he whispered.

Ryoga lifted Ranma's chin again, and stared intensely into Ranma's eyes. Ranma's stomach felt weightless, his heart fluttered nervously at the look in Ryoga's eyes. Looking right through him like they always did; like glass, right into his core and reaching his soul. Ranma found it hard to take in a breath, his chest closing up tightly, as if his heart was trying desperately to keep itself locked away and not let itself get pulled away by Ryoga's enticing gaze.

Ryoga came closer, and with each inch Ranma felt his resolve slipping away more and more. He desperately tried to get in a full breath, but it felt like he was breathing through a thin tube. Ryoga was slow, uncertain, gauging Ranma's reactions every second, analyzing every blink of his eyes, every breath. Should he keep going forward, or back off? Ranma was impossible to read; his eyes so wide it was as if a large truck was barrelling towards him and he couldn't move. But Ranma could have easily escaped if he wanted to. He didn't move, however; he just kept staring straight into Ryoga's eyes, looking incredibly torn and nervous.

Ryoga, as usual, was lost. He didn't know what would be the concequences of what his next decision would be. He was so, so close...closer than he'd ever thought he'd ever be again. But he was scared this would bring him right back to square one; he knew this was too good to be true, to be this close to Ranma again without him instantly pushing him away. He didn't know which path to take, and it made his head spin.

Ranma's scent, sweet yet masculine, was wafting into his nose. Each time Ryoga took a breath he could smell it, surrounding him. Ranma swallowed roughly, still not taking his eyes off of Ryoga. Ryoga stared at Ranma's neck, where he knew his scent was always the strongest, and his mouth watered. He could remember his taste on his tongue even now, the feeling of his body pressed against his, fitting perfectly in his arms. His fingers running through his hair, his name being whispered on his lips. Ryoga realized it had been too long since he'd had those things, and he wanted them all back. If only one last time.

Ryoga finally closed the small distance between them, pressing his lips on Ranma's. He heard a low groaning sound in Ranma's throat. Ryoga sighed, bringing both hands up to cup the back of Ranma's neck, pushing him closer and deepening the kiss. Ranma grabbed the front of Ryoga's shirt in his hands, gripping tightly and pulling him closer. Ryoga could feel his hands trembling. Ryoga crushed Ranma to him, knowing he could hold him as tightly as he wanted and it would never hurt him. Ranma threw his arms around Ryoga's neck, dragging his hands along his shoulders, up his neck and into his long hair.

Ryoga pressed Ranma against the counter, running his hands down his neck, along his chest. He felt Ranma shiver, and he broke away, kissing him gently on the neck, working his way down until he reached the spot where Ranma's old scar was visible. He kissed the spot, then worked his way back up his neck, enjoying the sounds of Ranma's soft moans as he moved. He kissed him longingly on the lips again, then pulled away. Ryoga smiled warmly at the sight of Ranma's flushed face, his eyes a dark blue as they stared at Ryoga with want. Ryoga grinned and knelt down slightly, hoisting Ranma up, and Ranma wrapped his legs around Ryoga's torso.

Ryoga captured his mouth with another hungry kiss, then he rushed out of the kitchen and into the hall, in a frantic search for the stairs. He tried to concentrate on where he was going, but Ranma kept placing butterfly kisses along his neck, and it was extremely distracting. He found the stairs and ran up them. Ranma tugged on his shirt.

"First door," he told him quickly.

Ryoga opened the first door in the hall, and sure enough it was the guestroom, Ranma's old bedroom. He stumbled inside, slamming the door shut beside him. Practically tossing Ranma onto the futon, Ryoga quickly joined him on the floor, pinning his body beneath his own and attacking his lips with kisses. Ranma moaned, running his hands up Ryoga's chest, trying to memorize every detail of his body. He let himself be ravished by Ryoga's touch, his lips on his own, his hands exploring his whole body, and for the first time in years he felt no remorse.

He felt entirely whole.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

At last, Ranma admitted to himself that he loves Ryoga. :D Took him long enough, huh? Only five bloody chapters...

Well, I _was_ going to put all the wonderful lemon in this chapter, but then I decided that would make this chapter _way too fucking long_...besides, smut deserves a chapter all to itself. This chapter was just to get the last of the "never-ending sexual frustration" out of the way, and have Ranma's big soul-search/confession. And hot chocolate. Yum.

So, like I forewarned you all in the beginning, I rated this story M for a reason. Because this little fic is my excuse to write "smut with a plot". So expect lots of steamy Ranma/Ryoga action in the next little while, dears, because there's gonna be a** shit ton**. Hey, those guys have to make up for FOUR YEARS of sexual-withdrawal, you can't expect me to cover it all in one little scene can you? No, I shall be sprinkling it around like magical yaoi-dust over the rest of this story, sugar-coating it with delicious yaoi-goodness! I'm excited, are you? :D

Stay tuned for the lemon, AKA Chapter Six!

- Jadells

* * *

><p><strong>PS: Can any of you guess what anime Ranma and Ryoga were watching? I'll give a shout-out to the first person who reviews with the correct answer! :D<strong>


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Akane couldn't focus.

She sat at the kotatsu in Kasumi's modest but prettily decorated living room. Nabiki sat adjacent to her, Kasumi across, lightly bouncing her daughter in her lap. Kasumi and Nabiki had been chatting about something…Akane couldn't remember what it was. She hadn't been listening the entire time.

Kimiko, the first child born between the three Tendo siblings, aptly named after her late grandmother, was bouncing her dolly in her lap, mimicking her mother. "Momma, I'm hungry," she said, still bouncing her doll.

"It's getting a little late, but I'm sure a glass of warm milk and some cookies won't be too risky before bed." Kasumi said gently, as Kimiko slid out of her lap. She stood, taking her daughter's hand. "I'll just be a moment."

"No problem, Kas." Nabiki said nonchalantly. Kasumi walked out of the room, and Nabiki looked over to her baby sister. She was looking at the television, which had been going on quietly in the background during the girl's visit. The program currently on held no interest to Akane, Nabiki knew. It was a segment about the stock market…something Nabiki might enjoy, but not her little sister. Nabiki grabbed the remote and flicked off the television. This broke Akane out of whatever reverie she was having, and she looked over at her sister curiously.

"Back in the land of the living, I see," Nabiki drawled, resting her chin in her hand. "I was beginning to think you'd turned into a zombie."

"I was watching that, Nabiki." Akane said weakly.

"No, you weren't." Nabiki retorted bluntly. "In fact, I don't think you've been here this entire time. So tell me, sis…where's Akane tonight?"

Akane sighed. Curse her sharp-as-a-whip sister, and her ubiquitous gift of reading people.

"I'm just…distracted, I guess." she mumbled quietly, playing with her fingers under the table.

"Trouble in paradise…?" Nabiki said as she raised her eyebrows. Her voice practically dripped sarcasm.

Akane shuffled uncomfortably at the obvious jab. "I, well…"

"I've sent Kimiko to bed," Kasumi said, re-entering the room. "Halfway through her milk and she was drowsy. She didn't even touch the cooki…" Kasumi trailed off. She sensed the tension between her sisters instantly. She looked between them, her brow furrowed suddenly with concern. She sat down slowly, and then looked directly at her middle sister.

"Nabiki, what did you say to Akane?" Kasumi said to Nabiki in a soft, chastising tone only Kasumi could make sound so sweet, but also so admonishing.

"Oh, the usual," Nabiki said flippantly. "Just that her marriage is a train wreck and she remains hopelessly in the stage of denial."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi cried. "What a _rude_ thing to say."

"It's called _honesty_, Kasumi." Nabiki sighed tiredly. "One of us has to do the duty of a big sister here and give her some tough love."

"Well, maybe so, but there are much better ways to approach the situation, Nabiki." Kasumi chided.

Akane looked up at her eldest sister, her eyes glassy. "Kasumi?" she said, sounding a little betrayed. "You too?"

Kasumi looked apologetic, but Akane saw pity in her eyes as well. "Well, there's always been a certain…elephant in the room…on the grounds of your marriage to Ranma, Akane." Kasumi started slowly, visibly trying her best to word things delicately for her sensitive youngest sister.

"You mean how he started to warp his mind to believe he was still a sixteen-year-old with a crush on Akane, so that he could get hitched to her and run away from his problems?" Nabiki supplied coarsely.

"_Nabiki_—"

"Kasumi, come off it. It's been four goddamn years of this tiptoe, runaround bull. Everyone skips around the issue because it's awkward, but fail to realize the repercussions of all their pathetic pussyfooting." Nabiki's palm slapped down on the table. "Akane's living in a loveless marriage, and she damn well knows it. And you know what, she's no less weak-minded than her so-called 'husband', because she's been deluding herself just as much. The fact any of us have been playing along with their fabrications for this long is _asinine_."

"Ranma…Ranma was—_is_, going through a great deal of mental torment, and it would only make it worse if we—" Kasumi stammered.

"Oh, _we _don't have to do a thing, Kasumi." Nabiki snapped. "Now that Ryoga is back in town, he'll do all the work for us."

Akane's heart jolted. Nabiki leaned back, eyeing her sister with a wry smirk.

"As soon as you called me the other day and told me Ryoga was alive, and back in Nerima, I knew right then and there the jig was up." Nabiki's sardonic tone cut Akane to the core. "This whole little farce you two have been putting on was real entertaining for everyone, sis, but you know as well as I do your marriage to Ranma may as well have been two kids playing house."

Akane was unable to keep the tears from her eyes now. "B-but…I…" The tears rolled thickly down her cheeks. Her face twisted up as a wet sob broke out of her.

Akane couldn't go on, as her emotions overwhelmed her. She burst into hysterical tears before her sisters. Kasumi quickly got up and went to comfort Akane, whose bout of sobs was only getting worse. She wrapped her arms around her little sister as she cried loudly onto her shoulder. She stroked her hair softly.

"We know you love him, Akane." Kasumi said tenderly.

* * *

><p>Ranma couldn't focus.<p>

He kept trying to concentrate, but every time Ryoga's lips pressed on his skin, his mind went fuzzy and all that was clear was the deliciously familiar feeling of Ryoga's hot breath feathering across his neck. His lips searched every inch of him; his mouth was tender yet passionate in its administrations, drinking Ranma in desperately. He was fervent, eager, yet slow…tantalizingly, tortuously, but magnificently slow.

Ranma left out a long, soft groan as Ryoga worked back up his neck, along his jaw, finally capturing his wanting lips again deeply. Ranma sighed, as if in relief, and clutched Ryoga's shirt tightly as they kissed feverishly. Ranma's brain felt like millions of tiny bubbles in his head, popping away one by one as he let Ryoga envelop all his rudimentary senses completely.

Ryoga broke the kiss, and stared longingly, lustfully into Ranma's half-lidded blue eyes. He placed chaste, warm kisses on his soft lips as he pulled up Ranma's shirt—_his_ shirt. Ryoga chuckled breathily as he pulled the shirt off of Ranma.

"Remind me to get my clothes back from you once I've taken them all off of you," he said huskily, tossing the shirt aside and kissing Ranma's shoulder. Ranma hummed; clearly pleased the bothersome piece of fabric was finally out of the way.

"I have…a lot of your shirts, actually," he mumbled quietly as Ryoga continued his trail of kisses down Ranma's arm. "The green one…with the Hokkaido flag on it…I wore it to bed once."

"Adorable," Ryoga purred, taking Ranma's hand and beginning to lick at his middle and ring finger. Ranma shivered, and bit his lip.

"Ryoga…" Ranma whimpered with a soft moan.

Ryoga pressed his lips firmly to Ranma's palm, squeezing his hand tightly. He'd waited four years to hear Ranma say his name like that again. And damn was it ever worth the wait. Ryoga came up and enclosed Ranma in a strong but gentle hug, and Ranma squeezed him back with as much eagerness, breathing in Ryoga's wonderful scent, which washed a warm feeling of nostalgia over him.

Ryoga loosened his grip, pulling back to gaze upon the smaller boy underneath him, still finding it hard to believe he was real. He smiled tenderly at him, and Ryoga felt himself swoon like a schoolboy at the look of sweet affection on Ranma's face. Completely enamoured, he closed the space between them again and latched onto Ranma's intoxicating lips once again. Their kiss quickly grew deeper and the heat between them built steadily, their breathing became heavy and hot as Ryoga grazed one of his fangs across Ranma's lips, and Ranma groaned and ran his tongue along Ryoga's bottom lip, seeking entrance.

Their tongues played while Ryoga ran his hands down Ranma's bare chest, eliciting a long sigh and a deep shiver from the pigtailed boy. Ryoga grasped the elastic band of Ranma's sweatpants, and began to tug them down. Ranma fumbled in the dark, desperately trying to rid Ryoga of his shirt. Ryoga pulled away, grabbing the end of his shirt and pulling it up and over his head. The sight entranced Ranma, as he stared at the rippling muscles in Ryoga's stomach as he pulled off the shirt. Ryoga caught a glimpse of Ranma grinding his teeth over his bottom lip in desire as he shamelessly ogled Ryoga's half-naked form.

Ryoga smirked, tossing his shirt carelessly across the room. Heady with want, he grabbed Ranma's sweatpants again, and swiftly pulled them down, chucking them over his shoulder. Ranma was propped up on his elbows, never taking his eyes off of Ryoga. Ryoga crawled towards Ranma, and Ranma's heart fluttered at the wonderfully devilish look on Ryoga's face. He lowered himself down flat onto his back as Ryoga positioned himself over him. Ranma's heart raced with lust, excitement, and nervousness all at once. He parted his legs so Ryoga could settle himself between them, and he could feel how hard he was already through his pants. Ranma was no better, his boxers feeling extremely confining.

Ryoga seemed to read his mind, sensing his discomfort, for he began pulling down Ranma's boxers, Ranma lifting his hips slightly to speed up the process. Ryoga successfully removed Ranma's final taxing article of clothing, casting them aside and making his way back up, kissing up Ranma's leg. Ranma twitched violently at the tickle it sent up his whole body. Ryoga paused at Ranma's now fully erect member, and then glanced at him tentatively, but longingly. Ranma's breath was shallow with anticipation, and his expression was all the invitation Ryoga needed.

He grasped the base of Ranma's cock and gently squeezed, causing Ranma to squirm. Ryoga kept his hand in place, and brought the tip into his mouth, slowly. Ranma sighed at the warm wetness of Ryoga's mouth wrapped around him as Ryoga began to gently suck, slowly going further down Ranma's length. He got halfway down, then came back up, and rolled his tongue all around the tip. Ranma groaned, reveling in pleasure yet pained at the tease Ryoga was giving him all at once. Ryoga continued this pattern for a while, before he suddenly took Ranma all the way into his mouth, causing the boy underneath him to jerkily buck his hips, grinding his dick even deeper into Ryoga's mouth.

"Ssshit, Ryoga…" Ranma gasped, arching his head back.

Ryoga continued bobbing his head up and down Ranma's shaft, using his free hand to squeeze the side of Ranma's ass, running his hand down toward his entrance. He pressed the tip of his finger lightly against the outer ring, and Ranma writhed beneath his touch. Ryoga took his hand away, and looked up at a sheepish looking Ranma.

"It's, uh…" Ranma struggled with words. "It's sort of been a long time since, well…"

"We'll go as slow as you want." Ryoga assured.

Ranma nodded, though he still looked apprehensive. "Um…" he looked away. "You wouldn't happen to have, uhh…a condom on you, would you?"

It was Ryoga's turn to look sheepish. "Sorry," he replied, and Ranma bumped his head off the floor with a disappointed sigh. "You don't have any…you know, considering, with Akane…"

Ranma quickly shook his head. "I would 'forget' to buy them, so that we…" he trailed off, his face grim and guilty.

"I see," Ryoga said quietly, pausing awkwardly for a moment. He remembered back to when he'd found the picture of Kasumi's daughter and accused Ranma of sleeping with Akane—something that sounded completely incredulous to say now, but at the time he'd felt angry and left behind. "So, you mean to say that, you and Akane never…?"

"Just once," Ranma whispered. "The honeymoon."

"What about on your own?" Ryoga asked.

Ranma shrugged. "Occasionally," he said. "But, well, just the basics, you know? So I'm…out of practice."

Ryoga crawled up and placed a firm kiss on Ranma's lips, and then leaned down to his ear. "Well, look on the bright side," Ryoga nibbled Ranma's earlobe. "This means, essentially, I get to take you all over again."

Ranma shivered. Ryoga started kissing down Ranma's neck, but Ranma lightly pushed him away.

"Easy, bud. You aren't doing any 'taking' just yet." he got up and went to his dresser and fished through one of the drawers. Ryoga didn't put up a fuss that he'd left him, probably since he was enjoying the view of Ranma's backside. After a moment Ranma turned around, holding a small bottle.

"All I've got is this massage oil stuff," he announced, squinting at the label in the dark.

"It's not a muscle relaxer, is it?" Ryoga asked. "You don't wanna go numb...and neither do I, for that matter."

Ranma checked. "Nah," he replied. "Well, this'll do, yeah?"

Ranma returned to the futon, laying back down and handing Ryoga the bottle. Ryoga squeezed a generous amount onto his palm, rubbing his hands together and slicking up his fingers. He then eagerly went back to giving Ranma's neck some special attention. He came across the old scar at the base of Ranma's neck, a perfect white crescent the exact shape of Ryoga's teeth. Ryoga smirked.

He bit down on the exact spot, pushing the tip of his longest finger into Ranma's entrance, rewarded instantly with a cry from Ranma. Ryoga took that as obvious consent to continue, so he began to zealously attack Ranma's long, lovely neck with teasing kisses and nips, sucks, and bites, all while slowly pushing his finger down to the first knuckle in and out of Ranma. Ranma thrashed beneath him, groaning with want.

"Are you oka—" Ryoga began, still making sure to move his finger.

"_More_," Ranma grasped Ryoga's shoulders tightly.

Ryoga chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, pulling out his finger, to apply more oil and add in his ring finger. He reentered Ranma again, quicker and deeper this time. Ranma's nails dug into the skin on Ryoga's arms as he arched his back in pleasure.

"Nnnngh…Ryoga, fuck…" Ranma whispered breathily, his eyes were clenched shut tightly, and he kept snagging his own bottom lip with his teeth, biting back the noises he wanted to make as Ryoga's fingers pumped him and stretched him.

"Hmm, you swore at me. You only do that when you're really mad at me, or when you're really…" Ryoga trailed off as he shoved his fingers in as deep as they would go, and Ranma yelped in a mixture of pleasure and pain. "…Eager to fuck me." Ryoga finished.

"Fucking _shit_, Ryoga!" Ranma cried, propping himself up to smack the top of Ryoga's head.

"I'd like to say that cursing doesn't become you, but I'm afraid I'd have to disagree when it comes to your…bedside manner." Ryoga said teasingly, unaffected by the hit completely. "It's actually pretty goddamn sexy on you."

Ranma's face went an even deeper red than it already was. "Would you quit your gabbling and just screw me, already?" he grumbled.

"I had a lot of time to imagine how my first time with you again would be like once I finally found my way back to you," Ryoga continued. "This certainly wasn't one of the fantasies."

Ranma huffed, making his bangs flutter. "We got all the time in the world to enlighten your dirty mind, pork butt," he groused impatiently. "But for now, I don't give a crap how it's done…I want you _right now_ and that's all I know."

Gruff, brash, and straight to the point…yep, this was _his_ Ranma, all right. This was the genuine article, and he was clad in absolutely nothing, adorably yet sexily flushed, his usual steely-blue eyes had darkened to a hazy indigo in their desire for him. The thought made Ryoga weak and empowered all at once: Ranma _wanted_ him.

Who was he to make him wait any longer?

Ryoga pushed Ranma down onto his back, and was looking at him with such a look of intense love Ranma felt his throat tighten as Ryoga's gaze overwhelmed him. Ryoga pressed his lips to his, and the kiss was so sweet a soft sound escaped Ranma's throat. Their kiss intensified, and Ryoga shuffled his way out of his pants and boxers, not daring to break contact with Ranma's lips. He kicked his leg, flinging the last of his clothes to some far corner of the room. By now the two were breathing heavily, their hearts racing with eagerness. Ranma pushed Ryoga up so he was standing upright on his knees, and Ranma adjusted himself to sit in front of Ryoga's stiff sex.

Ranma was too impatient to ever consider teasing as an option. He looked up at Ryoga as he grasped the base of his cock, and then took Ryoga all the way into the back of his throat. Ryoga gasped, even though he'd braced for it. Ranma had never had a way with words, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to use his mouth. Unlike Ryoga, Ranma didn't possess the tiniest amount of a gag reflex. Ryoga wasn't ashamed to say it was one of the things he loved most about him. And as much as he did like taking his time and ravishing his lover for hours, he had to admit he did enjoy Ranma's "no bullshit" attitude toward foreplay, especially when it came to oral. If there was one thing Ranma Saotome would never do, it was take half measures.

He took Ryoga's full length as deep as it would go, over and over, not too fast, but certainly not slow by any means. Ryoga's whole body shuddered uncontrollably as Ranma continuously fucked him with his mouth. He lurched over, Ranma the only thing keeping him upright. He gripped Ranma's braid, and pulled his head back. Ranma groaned loudly, his weakness for having his hair pulled getting the better of him, and Ryoga was treated to a brief but delightful vibration on his dick before Ranma pulled away with a gasp. Ryoga bent down lower, using his leverage on Ranma's hair to tug his lover's head upward to meet in a wet, heated kiss. Ryoga pushed Ranma backward, pinning him flat on his back with his body. Ranma spread apart his legs so Ryoga could find the perfect place to press his weight against him. Ryoga brushed Ranma's hair out of his eyes.

"You ready?" Ryoga breathed.

"Have been for years," Ranma whispered.

Ryoga kissed him delicately. He grabbed the bottle of oil again; Ranma had slickened him up pretty nicely with his mouth, but wetter was always better. He started positioning himself, rubbing the tip of his dick up the cleft of Ranma's ass, and then he pushed inside him. Ranma sucked in a breath sharply as a quick flash of pain shot through him, then let it out in a long moan as the sensation was quickly overwhelmed by colossal pleasure.

Ryoga practically growled as he slowly pushed his way into Ranma, as far as he could go, burying his face into Ranma's neck. A sudden sense of something akin to relief washed over them both when Ryoga was all the way inside, and he stayed that way for a moment so they could relish in the feeling. Ryoga drew away to look Ranma in the eyes, and he began to slowly pull out. Ranma let out a soft sigh. Ryoga pulled away until only the tip of his cock was inside of him; he paused, and then quickly thrust his whole length back inside of Ranma, arching his hips upwards to hit Ranma's sweet spot.

"Holy _shit,_" Ranma gasped, unable to control the sudden shaking jerk his body made. His hips bucked irrepressibly, gyrating the tip of Ryoga's dick against his prostate again. Ranma's mouth gaped open but no noise came out, and his hands slapped the ground and then gripped tightly at the sheets beneath him. He turned his head to the side; his eyes shut tight, the side of his face pushed against the sheets. Ryoga pulled away slowly again, placing a soft kiss to Ranma's exposed cheek. He pulled out only halfway this time, before slamming back inside once again. Ranma cried out weakly, then groaned. Ryoga sighed, grinding his hips against Ranma's ass, continuously stimulating Ranma's prostate. Ranma made a series of moans and pleasured cries as he shook intensely, twisting beneath Ryoga as if he were being exorcized.

"Fuck, Ranma…" Ryoga hissed out, his self-control slipping away. He began to build up speed, and Ranma gripped onto Ryoga's shoulders for dear life.

"Ahhhnn," Ranma moaned desperately. "Ryoga…"

"Yeah, baby?"

_"Harder_."

Ryoga complied instantly. Maintaining his momentum, he began to pound as hard and deep as he could with each and every thrust; Ranma couldn't help but cry out for every single one. He dragged one of his hands down Ryoga's triceps, the other across his shoulder blades. He heaved Ryoga closer, even though he was already pinned beneath his entire weight. Their bodies mashed together, Ryoga's weight grinding up against his whole frame as he thrusted in and out of him, but Ranma still wasn't close enough. He grabbed Ryoga by the hair, pulling his head back. Ryoga's eyes were half-lidded with lust and pleasure, and looked at Ranma benevolently. Ryoga's bangs stuck to his forehead in places from his sweat, and his lips were slightly parted as he panted roughly. Ranma cupped the sides of his face, drawing him in for a firm, yet soft kiss. Ranma broke away as Ryoga hit that same spot in him once again, and he whimpered against Ryoga's lips. Ryoga captured his lips again, rougher this time, cast over the edge by Ranma's delicious sounds directly in his ears. He threw aside the very last ounce of his self-control, and began to thrust as hard as he could go.

Ranma went limp, only able to keep his grip on Ryoga's shoulders as he fucked him senseless. His vision blurred into a single colour, his mouth was agape but he couldn't make a sound, all he could hear was Ryoga's fast, hot breathing in his ear. All he felt was Ryoga's weight against him, the sweat trickling down the side of his face, and Ryoga's cock slamming into him as far as it would go. Ryoga let out a harsh cry, and a long, rough groan as he reached his climax. The sensation of Ryoga's hot seed shooting inside him, and his softening cock still brushing up against the bundle of nerves deep within him caused Ranma to go over the edge himself. Ryoga shivered, still coming down from his strong orgasm, as Ranma was reveling in his own. Ryoga's arms wobbled to hold him upright, but he forced himself to keep position as Ranma came down from his high.

Ranma quieted down, his breathing softened as the deep tremors coursing through his body began to lessen. Ryoga pulled out of him carefully, and he let out a slow moan. Ryoga flopped down beside Ranma and rolled onto his back. The two stared at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh in unison. They were still for a while, simply savoring their afterglow. Ryoga kissed Ranma's shoulder; Ranma smiled. He looked over at Ryoga, whose eyes were closed. Ranma kissed his lover's slick forehead, and Ryoga opened one eye, smiling blearily.

"C'mon," Ranma said quietly, kissing his nose. "Let's go get a bath."

"But…so soft…" Ryoga sighed, closing his eye again.

"More like sticky," Ranma quipped lightly. "You're gonna ruin my bed."

"Your fault," Ryoga muttered sleepily.

"Whatever, porkchop," Ranma sat up and tugged Ryoga's ear. "Come on, already. I'll wash your back if you wash mine."

"My stomach is a little messier than my back." Ryoga teased, propping himself up to give Ranma a sly look. Ranma bopped his fist off the top of his head in retort, and stood up. Then, he buckled over with a yelp, grabbing the small of his back. His afterglow had officially worn off, and the ache inside of him was starting to make itself known. He grimaced, rubbing his back tenderly. Ryoga got up and came over to him, managing to look a little pitying (even though he was kind of proud of himself for giving him such a lay). He swept Ranma up bridal style, causing another yelp from the pigtailed boy.

"Looks like_ I'll_ be the one carrying _you_," Ryoga said with a smirk, heading toward the door and sliding it open with his foot, walking out into the hallway and turning left.

"The bath's downstairs," Ranma grumbled, grumpy over his sore ass and embarrassed over having to be carried. He had to admit that if he had tried to walk on his own two feet, he would have had a serious limp. "Turn around."

Ryoga turned, and headed for the stairs. Ranma directed him through the house until he reached the furo at the far end. Ryoga moved his arm to grab the doorknob, and Ranma slid down slightly. Ranma wrinkled his nose as they walked into the outer bathing area of the furo.

"Ugh," Ranma groaned. "Now it's on _me_, too."

"To be technical, there's a lot more of it _inside_ you than on either of us." Ryoga said lightly, setting Ranma down. Ranma gave Ryoga a dirty look, half-wincing at the flash of pain that had shot up his back at being put on his feet again. Then he scoffed, turning toward the door that headed into the inner bath.

"I'll fill the tub. You start washin' up."

Ryoga took a basin and started to fill it with lukewarm water. He grabbed soap and a towel, sitting down on a small stool to dump the contents of the basin over his head. He began scrubbing at his stomach with the soap as Ranma re-entered, setting up beside him. He sat down on another stool and splashed himself, and Ryoga looked over to see Ranma shaking out his now vibrant red hair. She started to wash, soaping up her chest and shoulders before glancing at Ryoga to find him staring. He wasn't even washing himself anymore. Ranma squeezed her bar of soap, and it shot out and smacked Ryoga's chest.

"Haven't had enough of me yet?" she teased, quirking an eyebrow mischievously at Ryoga.

"I could never get enough of you," Ryoga said, serious in comparison to Ranma's jokey tone.

Ranma snickered, but there was tiny flush to her cheeks. "Yeah, right," she mumbled, scrubbing down her arms. "You just want a shot at my girl side too, ya perv."

"Which side you were never mattered to me," Ryoga explained. "I love _you_, Ranma. Not your boy half, not your girl half. Just you."

Ranma's heart fluttered. She looked at Ryoga and smiled softly.

"That was…one of the things I loved most about you," she admitted quietly. She could remember the first time Ryoga had said that to her.

* * *

><p><em>Ryoga heard him coming before he even saw him. He was in his bedroom, lifting dumbbells and watching the television when he heard the rapid thumping of someone running down the hall. Ryoga looked up in time to see a flash of red hair shoot past his doorway. Looks like it was his outlandish boyfriend making all the noise, as usual, and it looked like he wasn't exactly a boy at the moment, either.<em>

_ "Ranma?" Ryoga called._

_ Ranma didn't reply, so Ryoga got up and followed the sound of his racing footsteps to the bathroom. He opened the door, to find Ranma standing by the sink, filling a bucket with water. She was completely drenched, and shivering. Ryoga looked out the bathroom window to see sheets of rain slamming against the pane of glass. _

_ "Geez," Ranma grumbled. "One minute you're taking the laundry outside, the next you're a freakin' woman." _

_Ryoga smirked. "I think that's just you," he remarked casually. "But I can still relate. Gotta love those torrential downpours, hm?"_

_Ranma yanked her shirt off, casting it aside with a displeased snort, followed by her pants. Ryoga raised his eyebrows at the now half-naked redhead before him. Sure, he'd seen Ranma like this countless times before, but that was before they were dating, and before she'd moved in to live with him. Ranma looked over at him, and sneered at him playfully when she caught him ogling. _

_ "Ranma," Ryoga said suddenly. "Do you ever think about…um, sex in your girl form?" _

_Ranma bristled, her jeering look vanishing instantly. "…Wh-where's this coming from all a sudden?" she stammered, her voice wavering. _

_Ryoga was twiddling his fingers. "I mean, that is…well, we already have, y'know…while you were a guy…and I just figured," Ryoga steeled himself, looking Ranma straight in the eye. "That…we could take our relationship to another level."_

_Ranma pressed her lips together. "Isn't me movin' in with you 'taking it to another level'?" she asked slowly. _

_ "It was…it is…" Ryoga said quietly. "I just meant…that I don't want there to be any boundaries between us, intimacy-wise. It's not like I'm asking you to do because I'm curious. I mean, I am curious, but I just more wanted to know if…you'd ever considered it, with me, too?"_

_ Ranma stared at Ryoga for a long time. The way he was playing with his hands like that, Ranma knew he was being genuine. That small, innocent gesture was enough to reassure her that this just wasn't about Ryoga's own boyish fantasies. He cared about Ranma's feelings, too. That wasn't something she was used to. She also wasn't used to openly discussing her feelings too much, but with Ryoga, it was always different. She took a deep breath._

"_It always just seemed…a little weird," she mumbled. "I mean, it's a completely different ballpark, when I'm a girl. I have no clue what it'd be like."_

_Ryoga raised his eyebrows, surprised she'd even admitted to anything, but also curious by what she had admitted. "Never got the least bit curious?" _

_ "Well, sure, but…I guess with it just being dubbed as a 'curse' and all, made the thought of tryin' anything seem like…taboo, ya know?" Ranma shrugged passively. "So even if it did cross my mind, I got too freaked out to let it go any further than that. Besides, with all those jerks from the past, grabbin' at me and junk…made it hard to want to try without being reminded of that. Without thinking that, I was no better than them."_

_Ryoga walked up to her. He placed his hands on Ranma's shoulders, which like the rest of him were much tinier in his girl form. _

_ "But it's me, Ranma," Ryoga said in a near-whisper. "You know I'm not like those guys. I'm not with you for your girl side. You're beautiful to me either way. I'm not with you just for your male side, either. I want you to feel completely comfortable around me, in either form. And I want to be able to show you just how I feel about you, all of you."_

_He squeezed her shoulders, which had started to shake slightly._

_ "I won't go any father than what you say," he went on. "You'll be completely in control. If you want to stop, I will. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."_

_ Ranma's eyes went wide._

All my life_, she thought, _I've been doin' what everybody else wanted me to do.

_Ryoga's husky voice and large, strong hands on her shoulders made Ranma feel light and tingly. She could a small pulsing sensation in her crotch as her body reacted to Ryoga's closeness to her; the look in his eyes, the feel of his hands…it was similar to what she experienced as a man, yet also completely different. She looked down at the bucket, overflowing with hot water now as the sink continued to run. She shut off the tap, and turned to face Ryoga again. His eyes searched hers pleadingly. She brushed his hands off her shoulders, and turned to face the bucket. Ryoga watched her apprehensively. _

Shit. I knew I'd just scare him off, _he thought resolutely._

_Ranma grabbed the bucket, and capsized it, to Ryoga's surprise, down the drain. She turned back to Ryoga and grabbed the confused boy by the shirt. She jerked him closer, dragging him downward and standing on her tiptoes to capture his lips with hers. She broke away after a while, becoming aware of their appearance. Ryoga was hunched completely over, yet she was still straining on the tips of her toes to reach his lips. _

_ "This is a lot easier when I'm a guy," Ranma said with a pout. _

_Ryoga smiled, hoisting Ranma up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. They were face-to-face. "This better?" Ryoga offered. _

_ "Much," Ranma said with a laugh. She kissed him again. "I'm thinkin' the bedroom would be even better, though."_

_ Ryoga smirked, heading out of the bathroom. "Well," he said. "Which way, Red?"_

* * *

><p>Ranma got off her stool and went over to Ryoga, sitting in his soapy lap. He gladly welcomed her, wrapping his arms around her teeny, curvy waist.<p>

"Well," Ryoga said, smiling. "What do you say, Red?"

Ranma smiled at the old nickname. She leaned down and pressed her lips firmly to his, running her hands down Ryoga's slick arms. Ryoga sighed. As a boy, Ranma's touch was strong and supple. As a girl, it was incredibly soft, but by no means feminine. Ryoga coursed his hands up her thighs and stomach, and then cupped and squeezed Ranma's breasts gently. Ranma bit her lip as Ryoga pinched her nipples, which were more ticklish than anything when he was a guy, but as a girl they were delightfully sensitive. Ryoga, of course, knew this. He caressed her body confidently, expertly—a seasoned lover; knowing all of Ranma's sensitive triggers whether he was male or female.

"God, you're lovely," Ryoga breathed, beginning to kiss across Ranma's collarbone. Ranma shivered beneath his touch, but willed herself not to get lost in his touch. She could feel Ryoga's erection already, pressing against her inner thighs. She moved her hips, purposely grazing his stiffening member. Ryoga sighed, running his tongue up her neck, toward the shell of her ear. An intense tickling sensation ran up her back and into her head, and Ranma moaned, reaching down to massage Ryoga's aching cock. Ranma's lusciously soft hands fondling him made Ryoga's breath hitch, and his back arched into the touch.

"Ah, R-Ranma," he groaned, biting Ranma's earlobe.

Ranma kissed his forehead as she raised her hips slightly, positioning Ryoga at her entrance. Ryoga grasped her shoulder, stopping her actions.

"Here, let's get onto the floor," Ryoga suggested. He slid his hand under Ranma, holding her upright one-handed while he lifted himself up slightly and moved the bath stool out of the way. He lowered himself onto the bath tile and jumped. "Shit, that's col—_Aagh_!" He was cut off as Ranma suddenly pushed his cock inside of her without warning. She sat on top of him, smirking at his flushed face, his cock buried down to the shaft within in.

"_Ffff-uuck_, Ranma!" Ryoga cried out loudly as the redhead grinded her hips slowly against him. Ranma groaned, her lips pressed together, as the tip of Ryoga's cock rubbed against her g-spot and clit simultaneously at her actions. Ryoga clenched his hands tightly on her thighs.

Whether it was giving head, or taking the reins of control, Ranma never drew things out for too long. Call it impatience, but Ryoga never seemed to care, and he certainly didn't now, as Ranma began raising and lowering her hips, pushing Ryoga's shaft in and out of herself, grinding him inside even deeper when she went all the way back down each time. Ryoga lost himself in the feeling of Ranma's warm, soft wetness enveloping his pulsating member, and savored the sight of Ranma's wet, soapy tits bounce as she rode him. Ranma threw her head back, her eyes shut and mouth hanging open with ecstasy.

"Ryoga…" Ranma whimpered.

"I'm home!"

Ranma and Ryoga froze.

"That's…" Ryoga began, his eyes wide.

"Akane." Ranma whispered, her face horror-stricken. She got up, and Ryoga had to choke back what would have been a loud moan at the feeling of pulling out of Ranma so abruptly. Ranma stood rooted to the tile floor, heart racing as the situation slammed down on her like an anvil.

She was stark-ass naked with an equally naked Ryoga lying on her bathroom floor, and both of their clothes were scattered around her room upstairs. Akane would go there to check on her first. Ranma whirled around to Ryoga, who was standing up now, looking as appalled as she did. They didn't have time to think. Ranma grabbed Ryoga's arm and yanked him into the inner bath. The furo was starting to overflow. She grabbed the showerhead and turned it on, pulling Ryoga under its stream. Ryoga instantly felt the change, and he shrunk down to floor-level, becoming a little black piglet.

He looked around for Ranma, who with incredible speed had plunged into the furo, reemerged, shut off the bath and shower faucets, and was now opening the window above the tub. He cast one last look back at the black pig, and his eyes told Ryoga to stay where he was. Ryoga sat on the wet floor of the furo, and watched Ranma leap out the window and onto the roof.

* * *

><p>"Ranma?" Akane called, peering into the living room. The television was on, and there was a bowl of barely-touched crackers sitting on the table. However, there was nobody in the room. She hummed to herself, and then made her way out into the hall. She heard footfalls coming from upstairs suddenly, and headed back toward the front door to go upstairs. She ascended to the second floor, and reached Ranma's old bedroom. As she reached the door, it slid open suddenly.<p>

Ranma stood clad in boxers and a tank top, his hair dripping, a towel around his shoulders. Akane looked at him, blinking at his appearance.

"Yo," he greeted. "You're home early."

"I am?" Akane said, looking confused.

"Said you wouldn't be back till morning," Ranma pointed out, raising an eyebrow. He leaned against the doorway, albeit awkwardly.

Akane stared at him. "It _is_ morning, Ranma," she said bluntly.

Ranma's eyes were wide. Just how _long_ had he and Ryoga…?

"Have…have you been up all night, or something?" Akane asked, looking at him incredulously. "The TV was still on downstairs, and…did you just have a bath?"

Ranma scratched his nose, his heart pounding. "Y-yeah?" he croaked. "I…couldn't sleep. I tried watchin' TV, but that was boring. So I, uh…had a workout in the dojo, and then came in for a bath. Guess I didn't realize how long I'd been…working out…for."

Akane paused for a moment. "I see," she said finally.

"Well, why did you come back so early in the morning, anyways?" Ranma went on. "It can't be later than 2—it's still dark out."

Akane looked at her feet. "I dunno," she said with a shrug. "I just…felt like coming home, I guess."

"It's too dangerous for a girl to walk home by herself when it's that dark out," Ranma said with a frown. "Some creep could've—"

"I'm a martial artist, not some helpless dame, Ranma." Akane snapped suddenly, looking up at him sharply. "I can take care of myself."

Ranma's frown deepened into an irritated scowl. Was she really going to start this crap _now_? He opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it slowly with a sigh.

"Sure you can," he muttered tiredly.

Akane stiffened. He wasn't going to fight her about it?

"So, you goin' to bed now?" Ranma asked, changing the subject.

"I dunno," Akane muttered. "Are you?"

Ranma could tell by the underlying ice in her tone that she was testing him.

_Are you going to sleep in the same bed as your wife tonight?_

"I'll be there in a bit," Ranma said quietly. "…Left a mess downstairs."

Akane nodded remotely, walking past him and down the hall towards her bedroom. Ranma watched her go, waiting to hear her bedroom door close behind her. He stooped down and picked up Ryoga's clothes, folded in a pile behind the door. He looked at the clothes in his arms, and sighed. Then he headed downstairs, while his wife crawled under the sheets in their bed.

They both knew he wouldn't be joining her.

* * *

><p><strong>Authour's Notes:<strong>

After four long years, at last, Ranma and Ryoga are together again. And it took _me_ three long years to write this fucking chapter. Sigh. I think this one was one of the most fun to write so far...I'm sure you can understand why (heh heh.) I'm sorry I kept you all waiting for Ranma and Ryoga's big smutty debut for so long...I hope it was worth the wait.

Stay tuned for Chapter Seven...I promise it won't take another three years.

- Jadells


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